THE Giants historic scholarship tour of Australia entered its second week with one victory and one defeat.

After making a strong start with a 46-6 victory over a Central Coast representative team, the Giants Under 16 scholarship side then lost 42-12 to a Balmain Tigers youth side.

But it was a memorable moment for the youngsters as the match was played at Balmain’s famous Leichhardt Oval.

It also gave the Giants touring party the chance to watch Wests Tigers first grade team train, and catch up with former clubmates John Skandalis and Liam Fulton.

There were understandably high spirits in the group after their stunning 46-6 victory over Central Coast, where there were two tries each for Nathan Mason (2), Aaron Webb and Matty Brook, further touchdowns from Elliot Gorman and Jonathan Foulds, with Ben Whitehead kicking seven goals.

Player performance manager Peter Riding and scholarship coach Paul Carlos are overseeing the youngsters and Riding said: “When we arrived in Forster prior to our first fixture we were treated to a local tour and the sight of the surf which was breathtaking.

“The weather was less than kind to us, although we were able to cruise the neighbouring lake and view the dolphins which was stunning.

“Our final training session was at the Harry Elliot Oval and the boys delivered a great session which filled everyone with confidence.

“Going into the first game you could hear the large Aussie crowd who were watching in anticipation of what they thought would be an easy Australian victory as they were the current NSW Country champions and included a large number of players already contracted to NRL clubs. We were delighted to get the result and produce a strong performance.”

The Balmain game failed to produce a similar result to upset the locals but the Giants were clearly making the most of the experience.

“After some free time, the players were required to take part in some television and press interviews with the local stations – the result created plenty of interest in us as a group,” said Riding.

“Ahead of the Balmain game we were invited to attend the South Sydney Rabbitohs v St George Illawarra Dragons NRL fixture at the ANZ Stadium and we were presented to the crowd prior to kick off!”

The Giants squad complete their tour with a match against a Manly Sea Eagles side tomorrow before returning home.