Huddersfield Giants boss addresses Jack Walker speculation after ex-Hull FC and Hull KR man named in reserves

Huddersfield Giants head coach Luke Robinson has responded to speculation after former Super League full-back Jack Walker played for the club’s reserves.

Walker was one of several eye-catching names who played for the Giants’ reserves as they lost 40-16 to Warrington Wolves. The full-back, who is contracted to Oldham, featured alongside two other Oldham players in Bayley Liu and Emmanuel Waine.

What made that more interesting is the fact that Oldham actually played in the Challenge Cup this weekend, with Walker drafted back in to the Roughyeds 21-man squad.

Despite that he found himself playing in Huddersfield as opposed to Perpignan, where Oldham lost 56-0, and that understandably led to speculation given how light on bodies the Giants are right now.

Asked after his side’s 52-12 defeat to Hull KR if it was the same Jack Walker many were assuming it to be, Robinson confirmed: “Yeah, Emmanuel Waine played as well. There were a few.”

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Huddersfield Giants boss explains Jack Walker selection

Robinson quickly went to shut down any talk of Walker or others signing for the Giants, simply putting their appearances down to the club’s injury crisis and the fact that Huddersfield had already drafted so many reserve team players into their first team.

He said: “What happens (during an injury crisis) within a club is it has a knock down effect and when I’m pulling all the players from the reserves and the academy, then the reserve team is pulling all the academy players and we have got a fair few younger lads injured as well.

“We are very sparse just on player numbers at the moment so we’re just bringing players in. There are players from other clubs that need some game time for themselves.”

Robinson also explained that many of those in the reserves couldn’t play more than 60 minutes anyway, something he used to silence any possible transfer talk.

“The problem with a lot of those lads in the reserves is that Leroy Cudjoe (reserves coach) got told that they could play but they could only play 60 minutes, so we had a lot who could play but they could only play limited minutes.

“We’re always looking at everybody at the moment but there’s a lot of them players in the reserves that can’t play 80 minutes themselves so they’d be no use to me.”