Huddersfield Giants boss Ian Watson reveals how bad tackle and ban has affected Will Pryce

Rugby league was divided earlier on in the week with the news that Huddersfield Giants star Will Pryce would be banned for ten games for a dangerous tackle on Hull FC’s Connor Wynne.

Some called it harsh, others called it just desserts for the potential damage to Wynne.

However, Huddersfield boss Ian Watson believes that ten games was a little too harsh and that there were a few mitigating factors – even though he did acknowledge the severity of the tackle.

“I feel it is a little bit high, we weren’t contesting the charge,” Watson said.

“He was guilty and he needs to learn a lesson and realise it’s not acceptable.

“But, we did feel there were a lot of mitigating factors in and around Pryce – he’s looked at someone who is a role model.

“Sky have used him to promote things and they’ve built him up and that little bit of pressure can build on players.

“And that came out in the game – that’s no excuse to what he’s done, we thought it would be better giving him an eight-match ban, but the RFL wanted 12.”

Watson was also keen to stress that Pryce will put his energy to good use in and around the team whilst also praising Wynne for the way he responded.

“Whilst Pryce isn’t in the team, he’s got to set those higher standards and use this time really smartly now

“He won’t do that again, he’s a player who wants to play rugby league and wants to be out there in the mix.

“A lot of credit has got to go to Connor he got straight up – he acknowledged Will had done wrong and shook his hand at the end of it.”

The Huddersfield head coach felt that other tackles over the weekend could have been looked at in the same light as Pryce’s.

“There were a couple of incidents at the weekend, where Mitchell Pearce drove someone into the ground and Jackson Hastings in the NRL has got three games.

“I thought the ban was a little bit too far – the outcomes are very similar to what could have gone wrong.”

Watson, in his pre-match press conference ahead of last week’s trip to Barrow for the Challenge Cup, revealed the hardships that Pryce has gone through.

“The first couple of days were really tough for him,” Watson said.

“He was a mess after the game and then the day after me and Andy Kelly (Huddersfield’s Head of Youth) spoke to him in the office and he was a little bit all over the place.

“He didn’t know what was going on and what had gone on – he’s been on an upward trajectory the past year and this is a bit of adversity that he will have to go through.”