THE Giants’ matchday experience team will be dusting off their old Thin Lizzy albums as we speak – because the boys are back in town.
And probably at the perfect time as Nathan Brown’s men face a five-game assault to ensure they manage the best position possible in the final Super League table.
While The Shay proved to be a happy hunting ground as the Giants cured their C-sickness – beating Castleford, Catalan and Crusaders – it has to be said that the sunny Calderdale climate did them some favours.
Sadly recent matches at Wakefield, Warrington and Bradford produced defeats in wet conditions – which may prompt the suggestion that the Giants play in the Drakes Cricket League next summer because at least they can come off the field when it rains.
But to cut the cheekiness, the situation is a serious one for Brown and his side.
This season has been in the main a story of strong displays that have ensured the Giants a top-three perch for the majority of the campaign.
However their record since the beginning of June has seen a ‘win one, lose one’ pattern emerge until the defeat by Warrington at the Halliwell Jones Stadium was backed up by the same outcome against Bradford at Odsal.
It is a run the Giants will want to correct and end the season with a powerful burst for the finishing line to ensure a home play-off tie – because right now a trip to the Gilbert Brutus Stadium is looking a genuine possibility.
And that run has to start tomorrow when the Giants ‘homecoming’ game will be played in front of the Sky cameras against Hull KR.
The club are hoping for a bumper turn-out and hopefully the Giants can roar their team on to victory and then a determined sprint for the finishing line.
THE problem with canvassing sports fans to produce a dream team is that it is always flawed due to the fact that some people are idiots.
Prior to the first Test between England and India at Lord’s the International Cricket Council revealed a fans-selected ‘Dream team’ of Test greats.
Despite the fact we thought up the game there is not an Englishman to be seen in the chosen XI!
The main problem is that the fans who are most likely to pick up on such a poll are the younger followers of the game who find it is all to easy to forget anything that happened before they got into it.
To be fair the likes of Sir Donald Bradman, Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne are all included, but as ever it is those who are missing who lead to the real controversy.
For those who haven’t seen the ‘Dream XI’ the poll, based on 250,000 votes cast worldwide, produced a line-up which reads: Virender Sehwag (India), Sunil Gavaskar (India), Donald Bradman (Australia), Sachin Tendulkar (India), Brian Lara (West Indies), Kapil Dev (India), Adam Gilchrist (Australia), Shane Warne (Australia), Wasim Akram (Pakistan), Curtly Ambrose (West Indies), Glenn McGrath (Australia).
Really, just where do you start when it comes to those missing? Why no Englishman? You could argue for Jack Hobbs or Len Hutton, or even Ian Botham – and that is just scratching thesurface.
The Windies provide Curtley Ambrose, who apparently is a better option as a pace bowler than Michael Holding.
And there’s no Viv Richards, Garry Sobers or Deryck Murray – my favourite keeper of all time.
And on the inclusion front you have to query Wasim Akram being in there.
As you know I’m a Red Rose fan – but Wasim, seriously!?