Impressive Huddersfield Giants appear to be gearing up well for the start of Super League XX.
It’s always dangerous to read too much into a trial game – particularly as it looks like being the Giants’ only one because of the cancellation of last week’s warm-up at Bradford – but a 38-6 Infirmary Cup triumph at Championship club Halifax does speak volumes.
They looked strong, both in attack and defence, with the contribution of new signings Jamie Ellis, Jack Hughes and Craig Huby going down well, as was the way Luke Robinson promoted and probed in what’s expected to be a new hooking role.
Their efforts alone looked far too much for a full-strength Halifax side who just a fortnight earlier had won 46-6 at Super League Hull KR.
Even though it was the Giants’ first run-out they looked pretty sharp.
Yes, there were some errors during a dominant opening period.
But with the Huddersfield defence also relatively sound – the pressure they were put under at times by an eager Fax attack will hopefully stand them in good stead for when the Super League season gets under way – a 26-6 interval advantage summed up the difference in class.
And if anyone doubted this pre-season fixture didn’t mean anything, then the 13th-minute brawl which resulted in Danny Brough and Mitch Cahalane being sent to the sin-bin would have knocked that one on the head.
By that stage, the Giants had already struck for the first time, with Jodie Broughton finishing strongly in the corner after Rikki Sheriffe had dropped the ball close to the line.
Their second came during the absence of the yellow-carded Brough when new signing Ellis proved his kicking can be just as effective as his captain by lobbing the ball to the corner for Jermaine McGillvary to leap highest and touch down.
In that one moment, Ellis had shown what an asset he could prove.
In the last 13 minutes of the half, three more Giants scores were added to help them open up a 26-0 lead.
Leroy Cudjoe’s interception close to the line and 90m sprint handed the supporting Joe Wardle a try on a plate before Brough and Ellis combined to send another newcomer, Hughes, charging powerfully to the line.
Then straight from the restart, the visitors scored the try of the half, with Brett Ferres, Broughton, Wardle and Shaun Lunt linking well for Ellis to get the final touch.
But all credit to Halifax, who refused to wave the white flag after such a big deficit in 32 minutes, and scored a try from Ross Divorty, converted by Steve Tyrer, on the stroke of half-time.
That gave the hosts a boost for the start of the second half, although they were unable to make any serious inroads, with Wardle grabbing his second from a Brough grubber in the 53rd minute to ensure normal service was resumed.
Not to be outdone, half-back partner Ellis was the next on the act, showing great strength to power over for his second nine minutes later.
The needle that had been apparent in the first period continued into the second when Jake Connor and Richard Moore were sin-binned following another free-for-all.
That proved the final act in what turned into a scrappy affair in the final quarter.
But after a performance with so many positives and causes for optimism, there were few complaints from the Huddersfield contingent.
Halifax: Sheriffe; Potts, Saltonstall, Tyrer, Saxton; Place, Johnson; Cahalane, Holden, Ambler, Spencer, Robinson, Divorty. Subs: Greenwood, Mennell, Murrell, Heaton, Moore, Bracek, Maneely, Manning.
Giants: Murphy; McGillvary, Cudjoe, Wardle, Broughton; Brough, Ellis; Huby, Robinson, Kopczak, Ferres, Hughes, Bailey. Subs: Crabtree, Lunt, Ta’ai, Mullally, Connor, Johnson.
