Gareth Lewis is confident Huddersfield can overcome the loss of playmaker Chris Bell and continue to storm up the National II North table.
The 19-year-old fly-half will be sidelined for at least a month with a shoulder injury suffered during last weekend’s 31-15 triumph at Hull.
That made it five straight wins in 2015 ahead of Saturday’s home clash against Otley (3.00), with Bell having played a leading role.
Player-coach Lewis knows the news on Bell has taken some of the gloss off Huddersfield’s current five-game winning run.
But he believes he still has the strength of squad to make it six on the trot and gain revenge for a heavy 47-7 defeat – their biggest of the season – at Otley back in October.
“We’re all gutted for Chris,” said Lewis.
“He’s been playing some good stuff for us, and he was looking forward to a massive couple of months. As well as helping us climb the table, he’s got his Yorkshire Under 20s commitments, and the England Counties Under 20s selectors were also taking a look at him.
“It’s important for us as a club that we look after him while he’s injured, particularly as he’s also going to be touring Australia with the Yorkshire Terriers in the summer and obviously wants to make sure he’s fully fit to make that trip.
“But even though we’re disappointed to lose him, we’re confident we’ll be able to handle his absence.
“When Chris picked up his injury, Joel Hinchcliffe came off the bench and immediately ran the show. He picked up the man-of-the-match award and backed that up by kicking five goals from five.
“So in Joel and Dan Jeffrey we’ve still got a half-back pairing capable of getting the job done. We know they’ll be playing behind a pack that’s really enjoying itself at the moment – James Purcell was quality last week – and providing the platform for our backs to make the opposition suffer.
“If Joel or Dan does pick up a knock, the plan would be to switch Tom Hodson from full-back, because he played at fly-half for us last season and did a great job. We’ve also got a 17-year-old kid called Joah Bradley, who’s come up through the club’s junior ranks and is a pretty special talent and is already knocking on the first-team door.
“That shows how strong our squad is at the moments, and that’s playing a key part in our current success.”
But Lewis knows his side will need to step up another gear to match Otley this weekend.
“It’s going to be a great test and a big challenge,” added the forward.
“Otley gave us a really rough ride earlier in the season. We let their halves run the show and their quality back line added to our problems.
“So, in a sense, part of this weekend’s game is for us to try and gain some respect off them, because we lost a fair amount over at their place.
“And with the form we’re showing at the moment, we’re confident we can do just that.
“The team spirit among the group is now at a high, and it’s amazing how important that can be.”
