THEY might not be aware of it themselves.

But there’s a fair amount of interest as to which Giants player will finish top of the club’s tryscoring charts in 2010.

Last season, former England flier David Hodgson took the honours with 21 tries from 32 appearances, while fellow winger Leroy Cudjoe was second with 16 from 27.

However, exceptionally close on Cudjoe’s heels was hooker Shaun Lunt, who boasted a remarkable 15 scores from just 21 senior appearances, with club captain Brett Hodgson crossing 14 times.

All four are again expected to be leading contenders in Super League XV, with Cudjoe already off the mark with two in the opening-night 24-12 home triumph over Bradford and Lunt chipping in with another.

Hodgson – of the David variety – thought he had broken his duck at Hull FC last Friday when he raced over half the length of the field to score under the posts after the hosts had coughed up possession.

Unfortunately, that 65th-minute ‘score’ as the Giants trailed 14-6 was controversially ruled out when the match officials ruled Hodgson had collected the ball from a knock-on.

It was a decision the winger felt was incorrect, firmly believing that if it had been a Sky TV game and the incident referred to the video referee, Hodgson would have been off the mark.

But rather than reflecting on the fact he failed to get off the mark himself, the 28-year-old was more concerned that the try was disallowed and had thwarted his side’s efforts to claw their way back into the contest and put themselves in a position to go on and make it two wins out of two.

And even though Hodgson does take personal pride in finishing as the Giants’ leading tryscorer, that philosophy of ‘doing it for the team’ is still his main source of motivation.

“Scoring tries is always a great feeling, and as a winger you’re obviously expected to get your fair share,” said Hodgson.

“But you score the tries to help your team win, that’s what it’s all about, and that’s the way we see it at the Giants.

“Yes, finishing last season as the club’s top tryscorer is something to be proud of, but what was even better was knowing those tries helped us reach the Challenge Cup final at Wembley and finish third in Super League.

“And when this season started, finishing top tryscorer again wasn’t at the top of my priorities.

“My main goal is to keep on improving and contribute even more to the team so we can continue to build on what we did last season.

“The tries are a bonus, and there’s no question you can use the scoring of them as extra motivation if you’re involved in a battle to finish top.

“But you have to make sure that doesn’t become an obsession and you end up trying to score yourself rather than passing to a teammate who may be in a better position. To say that selfish strategy wouldn’t go down well with your coach is an understatement!

“At the same time, though, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t made a mental note of the fact Leroy’s already two tries ahead of me in the tryscoring charts. It’s good competition.

“We certainly haven’t made a bet with ourselves, or anything like that. But, at the end of the season, I know whoever finishes top tryscorer will certainly be highly delighted, and I’d still love it to be me.

“But if it was Leroy I would still be made up for him.

“I’ve seen the way he’s developed over the past couple of years, and last season he did push me all the way. I don’t think it will be any different this time around, because Leroy is without question a hot property in the game and knows how to finish the tries off.

“Having said that, there are others in the squad who could get the better of us, and that’s something that can’t be overlooked. As far as I’m concerned, the more tryscorers we have, the better.”

The fact Hodgson finished top tryscorer in 2009 proved beyond doubt he had made a full recovery from the full knee reconstruction that had kept him sidelined for the first half of the previous season.

That didn’t prevent him playing for England at the end of that 2008 campaign, and he is hoping that with a full pre-season behind him, he can be even more effective in Super League XV and earn a place back in the England Four Nations squad this autumn.

“They say it takes over a year to get back to your best following major knee surgery, and I certainly felt good last season,” he added.

“But I know there’s still more from me to come, and I feel really good at the moment after what was another tough pre-season under ‘Bumper’ (head conditioner Mark Andrews).

“To be honest, I think we all feel fitter and stronger than ever, and I think that will soon be reflected in our performances.

“We obviously got off to a solid start against Bradford and, on another day, we could have come back from Hull FC last Friday with a win.

“The fact we didn’t was disappointing, but we’re still feeling confident and know we have what it takes to win at Hull KR tomorrow.

“Obviously, I’d like to score a try to get off the mark, but as long as we win I’ll be more than happy.”