2022 Season Review: Huddersfield Giants

14 Dec 2022

A Betfred Challenge Cup final place and top three finish represent major steps forward for Huddersfield Giants under Ian Watson.

But their coach will still head into the close season with a feeling of what might have been on both fronts.

At the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Watson's side looked set to become the first Huddersfield team to lift the famous trophy since 1953.

But Liam Marshall's dramatic late try broke their hearts to hand victory to Wigan.

"The boys put in an enormous shift," Watson said at the after-match press conference. "We were outstanding as a group, we were the best team for large periods and didn't get what we deserved. The best side lost the final and that's what hurts.

"How much effort they put in, and it's come down to one moment in the game. That's what decides big games."

Watson then urged his side not to let that heartache affect their Super League campaign, and to their considerable credit, they showed immediately that wouldn't be the case.

Just six days after their final defeat, the Giants travelled to in-form Catalans and won 22-14 in Perpignan, sparking a run of four wins in five games that put them in a position to challenge for the top two.

LEROY CUDJOE WITH A ? TRICK ? pic.twitter.com/H2IysQQ1r1
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) June 26, 2022

"That was a big, big effort to back up after a Challenge Cup final with all of the emotion that goes into it and the disappointment of losing it," Watson said in France. "To then come here to Catalans and get a result is a great, great result.

"I think this shows how serious we are about this competition."

Those top two hopes didn't quite materialise, with subsequent narrow defeats to the Dragons and Rhinos ultimately proving decisive.

But there were plenty of further high points along the way, including a Magic Weekend over Salford and a final day golden point win over in-form Wakefield courtesy of Will Pryce's penalty.

A first @Giantsrl try for Toby King to get us started on Day 2 of #MagicWeekend ?#SuperLeague #SLHudSal pic.twitter.com/aGpyjDuFme
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) July 10, 2022

That meant that Huddersfield started the Play-Offs with home advantage over familiar foes the Red Devils, only to come up with one of their flattest performances of the whole season in a 0-28 defeat.

Watson admitted afterwards that his side were just clear second best.

That shouldn't, however, cloud the overall progress that the season undoubtedly yielded.

The Giants beat every team in the competition bar St Helens, and their accomplished Challenge Cup semi-final win over Hull KR at Elland Road showed that they were fully capable of winning crunch clashes.

Tui Lolohea was outstanding at the back, and a genuine Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel contender for much of the campaign, providing a devastating cutting edge for the Giants attack.

With Will Pryce missing 10 matches due to an early season suspension, Olly Russell stepped up at half-back and ended the season as first choice alongside Theo Fages, whose clear influence was missed when he sat out over half of the year with injury.

Chris Hill was another to suffer from that but led from the front when he was on the field, alongside the seemingly indefatigable Luke Yates, who again got through a mountain of work in the middle.

Alongside those two Owen Trout emerged as a key man in the pack, while challenging Lolohea strongly for Huddersfield's best overall was back rower Chris McQueen, whose late career renaissance continued as he finished as top try scorer.

Lightning McQueen ???@McQueen1070 goes 80 metres for the @Giantsrl try ?#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/ysQgo1pHrn
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) June 11, 2022

Others to catch the eye included Danny Levi, Innes Senior and Ricky Leutele, the latter who many felt deserved a place alongside McQueen in the Dream Team after an excellent year at centre.

With the majority of those players back for 2023, Huddersfield look well placed to kick on again - the key for Watson now will be to secure the silverware he is convinced the club is capable of.

"It was just a really disappointing end to the season," Watson admitted.

"The amount of stuff the boys have sacrificed throughout this year, getting to a Challenge Cup final and finishing third in the league is a step forward, but it?s definitely disappointing to finish this way.

"We'll learn a lot from this year, and we'll be here competing again next year, I've no doubt about that."

Key man

Tui Lolohea's form during the first half of the season was such that his coach labelled him the best full-back in the competition and he was firmly in the running for the Steve Prescott MBE Man of Steel.

Pearl of a pass from Tui ?#SuperLeague #SLHudWig pic.twitter.com/4fkECNb991
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) May 12, 2022

The Tongan international just missed out on being nominated for the latter, but still had a year to remember for the Giants. His intelligent playmaking from the back saw him second in the overall assists chart for the whole competition.

Rising star

Young forward Owen Trout emerged as a key figure for Ian Watson's side, becoming a damaging runner with the ball and solid defender. The former Leeds Rhinos junior went from fringe player to first choice pick, and his form over the course of the season earned him a deserved call-up for Paul Anderson's England Knight squad. "He could be anything if he really knuckles down and backs himself," coach Watson said.

Season highlight

It can only be the 19 minutes of the Betfred Challenge Cup final where the Giants were ahead and seemingly destined to lift the trophy. Jermaine McGillvary's 58th minute try, beating a host of Wigan defenders to the corner, gave Ian Watson's side a lead that they still held with three minutes remaining, and their wait for cup final triumph looked over.

If only Huddersfield fans could erase Liam Marshall's dramatic late winner for the Warriors.