DEFEATED Giants coach Jon Sharp believes his club will emerge as a far stronger Super League force as a result of this toughest of spells.
Sharp watched his side slump to a seventh successive defeat with a 48-12 reverse at St Helens to put his side's play-off bid under even more doubt.
But while expressing his obvious disappointment at this latest setback, the Giants chief is convinced the pain of another heavy defeat will help toughen up his squad.
"We're all doing it really tough right now, there's no question about that," admitted Sharp.
"But this is the time to stand up and be counted, and to show you are tough enough to battle through adversity.
"And this week, in particular, is one when my players have really had to dig deep and show they have true character and are tough enough, both mentally and physically.
"To be beaten 48-12 is obviously disappointing and to make some of the errors we did was far from ideal.
"But given the week we have just had to endure, I can't be too critical of my players.
"I don't like using injuries as an excuse. However, the fact is that on Wednesday, the coaching staff had a debate as to whether we should cancel training for the rest of the week.
"In the end, we managed to draft in six of our Under 18s to make up the numbers in the training session and make sure they could go ahead.
"But during the final session, I had only 14 players who said they were available, and six of those were carrying knocks!
"In my 20 years involved in the professional game I've never known anything like it.
"Yet somehow, we still managed to get 17 players out there against Saints last night, and for that I have nothing but praise and admiration for them.
"How can I knock them when they are prepared to put their hands up and remain competitive for as long as they did last night?
"I have no doubt that they will all be stronger for the experience and emerge as even better players."
