NEW Zealand Test hooker David Faiumu may be forced to continue in the back row if he recovers from injury and gets the nod for the Giants’ testing home Super League clash against Harlequins on Sunday.
The 25-year-old was due to play at Castleford Tigers on Saturday as Huddersfield battled their way to a thrilling 26-24 triumph.
But Faiumu picked up a leg injury on the Friday and was forced to pull out on the morning of the game.
That forced head coach Nathan Brown into a late switch, with the RFL granting permission for fellow hooker Shaun Lunt to be called up at the last minute.
The 21-year former Workington hooker produced another quality stint which earned praise from Brown, who has already used Lunt and Scott Moore as his two main hookers in games this season and given Faiumu a back-row role.
And with second-rowers Simon Finnigan (knee) and Andy Raleigh (finger) still at least a week away from a return, that same combination could again be utilised against an in-form Quins side still buzzing from their amazing 60-8 home win over Warrington Wolves on Saturday.
“It’s good to have these options, and there’s no doubt Shaun didn’t do himself any harm with the way he took his chance at Castleford,” said Brown.
“Because of his recent back problem he’s hardly trained over the past few weeks, but he slotted straight back in and did a good job for us.
“We’ll now have to see how everyone shapes up in training as we get ready for Quins, and that obviously includes assessing the fitness of Fuey (Faiumu) after he pulled up in training the other day.”
Another player who will be anxious to keep hold of his Super League spot is 20-year-old back-rower Larne Patrick.
The former England Academy international, who spent last season plying his trade for Manly-based club Narrabeen Sharks in the Australian reserve-grade competition, made his senior Giants debut from the bench against the Tigers at the weekend.
And Brown was happy with his involvement.
“It was a good effort from him. He gave us a nice 20 minutes and everyone was delighted for him with the way it went, including me,” he added.
