HUDDERSFIELD Giants’ Under 20s side should reap the reward of having a full-strength Super League squad when they face Bradford Bulls at Odsal in their Valvoline Cup clash on Sunday.
The match is being staged as a curtain-raiser to the main Bulls v Giants Super League clash and gets under way at 12.40.
Although Huddersfield do have senior squad men out on loan – Josh Griffin and Alex Brown at Batley and Kyle Wood at Castleford, while Jermaine McGillvary is at Barrow on was on the wing for their 32-12 Challenge Cup quarter-final defeat at St Helens and half-back Gregg McNally played for Oldham in their 28-16 Co-operative Championship triumph at Workington Town – the club’s reserves should still be in good shape for their key Volvoline test.
They go into the contest after a hard-fought 24-22 triumph at Salford City Reds when promising Super League forward Larne Patrick made a successful return to action after being sidelined for a month with a knee injury.
Patrick was among the tryscorers at The Willows, along with Elliot Hodgson, Greg Johnson and Jake Senior, while Greg Worthington landed four goals.
Also named in the Giants squad that day was another senior player in back-row forward Graeme Horne, and this weekend’s side is also expected to include a number of players with strong Super League experience.
That success was Huddersfield’s fourth of the campaign, which is the same number as Sunday hosts Bradford.
Unfortunately, there was defeat for the Giants’ Valvoline Academy side, who were beaten 62-30 at home to Salford.
Their tryscorers were Perry Whiteley (2), Tom Eison, James Usher, Sam Cummings and Miles Fairbank, with Usher landing three goals.
Huddersfield’s Under 15s Scholarship side are the next to step up when they host Featherstone at the DRAM Centre on Saturday (1.15).
