Huddersfield Giants are determined to keep their winning habit and end their fight for Super League survival as soon as possible.
Having notched a 22-14 home win over Leeds Rhinos the Giants have created a situation where one win puts them in Super League 2017.
The quickest route is beating Hull KR at the KC Lightstream Stadium on Saturday, if not the Giants will have home advantage in the Million Pound Game’ showdown a week later.
While the Giants were defeating last season’s treble-winning Rhinos by a two points margin, Saturday’s rivals the Robins were winning by only the same margin 32-24 at Championship outfit Featherstone Rovers.
Both were winners but momentum can be everything in sport.
“After seeing the scoreline at Featherstone, we wouldn’t have minded playing Hull KR straight away last Sunday night having beaten Leeds,” smiled Giants full back Scott Grix.
“But what we have to do is try and take all the things we did right against Leeds work hard on that this week and try and take them into Saturday’s game.
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“There will be a long hard look at the video from Sunday I am sure.
“We went into the game well, but in the second half when we conceded some points will raise a few issues.”
However, within the Giants camp the victory over the Rhinos probably carried even more significance after they had succumbed 48-40 at Leigh Centurions in round six of the Middle 8s - a defeat and performance that has clearly deeply concerned the Giants camp.
“The big thing was just how shell-shocked we were after out dreadful start at Leigh,” said Grix, who had been out with a back injury for that game.
“Against Leeds we knew we had to be straight into the game as we never gave ourselves a chance at Leigh.
“Against Leeds we wanted to right the wrongs of the Leigh game and I thought we did just that.
“We started well and put ourselves in a good position that put us in the position to go on and win the game.”
So producing the same kind of performance in one of the next two potential games will keep the Giants in the top flight.
For Grix and the Giants the equation is simple and said: “We have to play and win one game to avoid playing another game, so we want to win.”
FIXTURES
TONIGHT
Middle 8s
: Leeds Rhinos v Leigh Centurions (8pm)
TOMORROW
Super 8s
: Hull FC v Warrington (8pm), St Helens v Wakefield Trinity (8pm), Wigan Warriors v Catalans Dragons (8pm)
SATURDAY
Middle 8s
: Hull KR v Huddersfield Giants (12.30pm)
League One play-off semi-final: Toulouse Olympique XIII v Yorks City Knights
SUNDAY
Super 8s
: Castleford Tigers v Widnes Vikings (3.30)
Middle 8s: Batley Bulldogs v Salford Red Devils (3pm), London Broncos v Featherstone Rovers (3pm)
Championship play-off semi-finals: Bradford Bulls v Dewsbury Rams (3pm), Halifax v Sheffield Eagles (3pm)
League One play-off semi-final: Barrow v Doncaster (3.30)
