Jim Lenihan’s verdict as Huddersfield Giants narrowly miss out on another upset win over Wigan Warriors

Huddersfield Giants boss Jim Lenihan has offered his assessment of his side’s 24-10 defeat to Wigan Warriors. 

The scoreline certainly doesn’t represent the closeness of the game, with the result hanging in the balance until the final five minutes until the second and third try for Zach Eckersley blew the game out in Wigan’s favour.

Taane Milne and Jacob Gagai both crossed for the Giants, and Niall Evalds was very unlucky to not have a score as well, but a pass in the build-up was deemed forward by referee Matty Lynn.

A Joe Greenwood sin-bin in the final five minutes was pure frustration of some poor calls against the side, but ultimately that ill-discipline is what cost them the game.

Reflecting on the game, Lenihan said to Sky Sports: “I think it’s important for us, every week, to go out there and physically compete.

“I thought we always tried really hard, put ourselves into a really good position to win the match at the back end, but unfortunately we just couldn’t get away with it.”

The effort from the side can’t be questioned, and that is the boss’ most pleasing aspect of this evening’s performance.

“It’s what we’re building at our club,” Lenihan said. “We’re really working hard at our effort areas. We’re really working hard at defensively improving what we’re doing. We’re really working hard at competing for each other.

“It’s been a better performance this weekend, but unfortunately we still don’t get the reward for it. We’ll keep working hard. We’ll keep challenging ourselves to be better next week.”

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Huddersfield Giants boss reacts to Wigan Warriors defeat

For the first time in a while, especially at home, Huddersfield were cheered and clapped off the pitch at full-time. It’s been a tough season for the Giants faithful, but performances like that only show them that there is potential for this side, it will just take time for those diamonds to be uncovered.

“The most important thing for me is that we have a set of sponsors, a set of supporters, a community that’s proud of its football team,” Lenihan said.

“The first thing is, they want to see someone who competes and physically goes out there and goes after the other team, and that’s what we’ve got to do.

“Win, lose or draw, at the end of the day, it’s more about being physically competitive and having a side that represents who we are as a community.

“Huddersfield’s a working-class community. They want a working-class football side that goes out there and competes every week, and that’s massively important for us and our identity.”

Whilst it’s great that the Giants can produce displays like that, doing it consistently is proving to be the downfall.

On that consistency, Lenihan said: “It’s more about the effort that goes into the game and the mindset that goes with it.

“It’s easy for us when we’re losing all the time, when something goes against us, to let go. We’re choosing not to let go.

“Our job now is to physically and mentally stay in the game and compete, and that’s how we get to move our side up the football ladder.

“Again, I’d love to win every week, and I want to win every week, but at the moment it’s more about the effort that goes into it… and all the invisible parts of football we’re slowly getting better at.”