TWO wins from three games was the asking rate for the Giants going into this crucial clash for a play-off place – now it’s one from two.
Victory over one of their main rivals for a top six berth has put the Giants on the verge of history and they will have only themselves to blame if they don’t record their best ever Super League finish this season.
However, it is hard to envisage such an aberration occurring as Jon Sharp’s side go into their home clash with Wakefield Trinity, also still in the play-off hunt, in superb form having notched their fifth win in six outings with this success at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
Patience held the key for the Giants and when they took a grip on the contest early in the second half they did not look like letting two precious points slip through their grasp.
It would be easy to pinpoint the influence of Kevin Brown, Brad Drew and Ryan Hudson on the game, but the truth is that this was a team performance of the highest calibre – particularly in defence.
For Warrington it was an evening of frustration as their passion crossed the line into ill-discipline and forwards Adrian Morley and Paul Rauhihi were both put on report as the home side’s tackling became increasingly ragged under the pressure the Giants exerted.
The Giants in contrast never looked rattled, even when they made the worst of starts.
After allowing the busy Lee Briers to pen them back from a 40-20 kick, the visitors found themselves behind as a path was created for Henry Fa’afili to cruise in at the corner.
However, Briers failed with the kick and he missed a further two shots at goal and the Wolves’ only success came from Ben Westwood, who landed one from two kicks. In contrast Giants’ skipper Chris Thorman’s aim was pretty much true with just one miss from eight shots at goal.
Those Thorman successes served to ease the Giants away from their rivals at a crucial stage in the second half and, despite a late Wolves rally, that cushion of points was always going to be enough.
The Giants bounced straight back from their rude awakening with a clever Thorman kick troubling the home defence and, having gained possession, the opportunity was not wasted as Ryan Hudson shot through from acting halfback to touchdown at the posts.
The first half remained a tight affair. The impressive Westwood bagged his first try of a hat trick thanks to Morley’s neat offload, but the Giants hit back when Drew saw a huge gap open up and he shot through like a steam train to bag a try.
The Wolves were hampered when they lost prop Paul Wood with a serious shoulder injury that left the joint both dislocated and fractured, but they pulled the scores level just before half-time when Briers’ clever kick to the corner found Kevin Penny, who managed to get over the line despite the Giants’ cover doing their level best to deny him.
The Wolves tried to hit the Giants hard from the off in the second half and were pressing on the line when Giants winger ‘Rocket’ Rod Jensen swooped on a pass to intercept and then showed just how he earned his nickname with a length-of-the-field sprint to the line – managing to fend off the attentions of Penny in the final few yards.
Warrington began to concede possession as the penalties stacked up, Morley being
particularly culpable with a couple of high shots.
But it was from a dangerous tackle on Paul Jackson that the Giants earned their next points as Thorman landed the resultant penalty.
Eight points to the good soon became 14, though both sides had to wait an eternity for video referee Steve Ganson to decide Jamahl Lolesi had got downward pressure on the ball as he won the chase to a Drew kick through.
And the points were in the bag with 12 minutes to go as Briers tried to force an attack and his pass was intercepted by Brown, who cruised under the posts from 40 yards out.
To their credit the Wolves tried to battle back and Westwood grabbed two more tries and a late chance went the way of Penny, but he stepped in touch as he tried to hare for the line.
But that would still have been too little too late for the home side and the Giants thoroughly deserved a win that puts them on the cusp of extending their Super League season into the play-offs for the first time.
