HUDDERSFIELD Giants return to pre-season work next week determined to make sure they’re in perfect shape to face St Helens in their opening warm-up fixture at Langtree Park on Friday week (January 11).

Head coach Paul Anderson has made it clear everyone who’s fully fit will get a run-out against former Giants chief Nathan Brown’s men that night (8pm).

Apart from Luke O’Donnell, who is continuing to recover from shoulder surgery but will be ready for the start of the Super League XVIII campaign, Anderson is hopeful of calling on every member of his squad.

"We’re more than happy with the work everyone has put in so far, and now’s the time to build on that," said Anderson.

"That’s what we intend to do between our return to work next week and our opening trial game at Saints.

"Unless any of the players pick up an injury in training, I expect everyone to get some game time, and I’m expecting to see some very positive signs.

"Obviously, everything we’ll be doing in the next month is designed to make sure we’re fully prepared for our season’s opener at Saints (on February 2).

"That means we’ve got some vitally important weeks coming up, and I certainly hope I’ll have learned a lot more about the squad after we’ve gone to Saints and then played Widnes in our home pre-season fixture nine days later.

"This really is a crucial stage for us."