TOUGH Giants taskmaster Jon Sharp has ordered six of his first-team squad to report for training on Monday.

While most of his Super League players won't return until November 10, new signings Stuart Donlan, Sean Penkywicz and Paul Smith, as well as youngsters Paul White, Philip Joseph and Ben Feehan, have been called in early.

It's a move Sharp believes will be of benefit to the six players, enabling them to get a head start on their Giants teammates.

"It had always been my plan to get the new signings in as early as possible," said Sharp.

"We want to assess what they can do on the conditioning front and tailor a programme to meet our needs.

"It will also give them a chance to get used to their new surroundings before the rest of the boys start to arrive.

"But for the three young kids already on our books, we believe they need to spend more time working on their strength and fitness in order to build them up for the tough demands ahead.

"It may seem a little unfair giving them less time off, but I'm sure they'll reap the rewards further down the track."

The Super League campaign is pencilled in to get under way on the weekend of February 20.

That's two weeks earlier than usual, with the fourth round of the Powergen Challenge Cup now taking that slot.

The first round draw took place last night.

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