GIANTS coach Nathan Brown believes his battered side’s Cup exit could yet hold a silver lining.
Huddersfield lost 22-18 to Cas in the quarter-finals at a time when they’ve lost momentum in Super League as well.
A series of injuries to key players has been at the heart of the loss of form, with internationals Kevin Brown, Luke O’Donnell, David Fa’alogo and Shaun Lunt currently sidelined, and rising star Joe Wardle having now joined them with a hamstring injury.
On top of that, key midfield sparks Danny Brough (ankle) and David Faiumu (ribs) have only just returned to action after missing important matches.
Huddersfield now have two weekends off for the Cup semi-finals and final in the next five weeks, and Brown feels the free time could be just what his squad need.
“We’d obviously have preferred to be preparing for a semi-final, that goes without saying,” said Brown, whose side play Hull KR at the Galpharm on Saturday.
“But we do know we’ll benefit from having some time off.
“The reality of the situation is that with Joe now added to the injury list, we’ve got only about 18 fit people in our club at the moment, and that means we’re being stretched to the limit.
“We’re hoping this changes in the next couple of weeks and we can start to get some players back (the Giants also hope to have Australian Jamie Simpson ready for the play-offs after surgery).
“And the weekend breaks will also help a lot of people get over some little niggles that only rest can cure.”
