HUDDERSFIELD Giants officials are hoping their season-ticket holders will turn out in force for tomorrow’s Batley Bulldogs v Gateshead Thunder Co-Operative Championship clash at Mount Pleasant (7.30).
The fixture is being screened live on Sky TV, with the Batley club anxious for a good turn-out to guarantee a positive impression in front of the cameras.
It’s something Huddersfield are only too happy to support, with the Kirklees rivals having struck up an excellent relationship.
The two clubs have this year come up with a special deal whereby Giants season-ticket holders can watch Batley home games for £5.
That should prove attractive for many Huddersfield fans, who will be able to see Giants winger Jermaine McGillvary in action during a season-long spell at the Mount.
And Giants head coach Nathan Brown is keen to see how his young protege is progressing.
“It’s a great offer from the Batley club and a great chance for us all to see Jermaine live as we don’t have a game that evening,” said Brown.
“There’s no doubt the National Leagues are the right place for Jermaine at the moment, but he still trains with us every day full-time before linking up with Batley late in the week.”
Giants managing director Richard Thewlis is firmly behind Batley’s drive for fans on the evening and hopes that many of his club’s supporters will join him.
“It’s a great initiative and I think everyone knows it’s one I fully support,” he said.
“Batley should be applauded for their pro-active approach to boosting this gate for a game on Sky that will showcase their club.
“It’s also a great chance for Jermaine to show the watching public what he can do on a big stage, and it won’t harm the perception of our club if he has a blinder and we have plenty of claret and gold there to watch him.”
“We already have one young lad out on loan in the national leagues in Gregg McNally, above, who stole the headlines last week (he scored four tries and kicked eight goals Whitehaven won 52-26 at Featherstone).
“So my message would be let’s get across there in numbers tomorrow and see if Jermaine can help the Bulldogs to a win.”
