IN-FORM Giants centre Julian Bailey is living proof that the hard work behind the scenes is paying off on the field.

The former Newcastle Knights star proved to be one of Huddersfield's most reliable and rock-solid performers under Tony Smith last season.

But under new coach Jon Sharp he has added far more to his game, having now come out of his shell to become one of the most lethal strike players at the McAlpine.

That was first apparent with his long-range try in the Sky TV game at Widnes when he broke clear from inside his own half and brushed away Chris Giles before charging over.

He followed up with several stunning breaks in the big Powergen Challenge Cup quarter-final triumph over York.

But last night he did even better, with his 55th-minute long-range try against Salford bringing the house down and setting the Giants on the road to victory.

It was a try that combined both strength and speed, and left Bailey feeling well satisfied with his evening's work.

"I suppose in the context of the game it was quite a crucial try," he said.

"It was just 12-10 at the time and I'm sure Salford could sniff something.

"Fortunately, I was on hand to calm any nerves we may have had and broke from deep inside our own half and managed to finish off.

"It was a great feeling, and yet another try that started from way out, which is becoming a bit of a speciality of mine.

"But I know it's only through a lot of hard work that I'm able to do that.

"I know I've added a bit of extra speed, which is down to the work I've been doing with sprint coach Dave Townend.

"And I'm also feeling a lot stronger, which is something that's down to the conditioning work put in by Jason Davidson.

"Yet it's not just me who's feeling the benefits of all the hard work being done behind the scenes.

"I think we're all reaping the rewards of working under the current training regime. We're all certainly enjoying it."

Yet Bailey admits that there were parts of the game against Salford that the Giants certainly didn't enjoy.

The City Reds made it tough for the Giants to collect the two League points, something the 25-year-old Australian readily admits.

"Salford are a good team, there's no question about that, and they made us work very hard for the win," added Bailey.

"Defensively, we really had to dig deep and fortunately it paid off. It ended up being another good win for us."