Huddersfield Giants head coach Luke Robinson has revealed that there is some ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ regarding the club’s injury crisis, with the head coach offering an update after his side’s 52-12 Challenge Cup defeat to holders Hull KR.
Two Taane Milne tries, one on the final play of the game, ensured that the Giants weren’t whitewashed but they could have been excused for that given how inexperienced their side was.
Robinson handed out three debuts with both starting wingers making their first appearance for the club and the Giants boss spoke post-match about that aspect of the result.
He said: “We had a very inexperienced side out today, I was very privileged to give three lads their debut today and I thought they tried really hard but we were up against a quality opposition.
“There were periods of the game where we stuck with them but it was just a little bit of inexperience and a bit of quality from them that was the difference.”
With 16 players out injured, the Giants could only name a 19-man squad with five of those from the reserves but Robinson admitted that it was a case of needs must.
He explained: “There were no more players to name. Three lads made their debut and I’m really really proud of them. They’re not actually first team players, they’ve signed reserve deals but they’ve got their head down all year and worked extremely hard and I was really privileged to give them their debuts.
“They’re three lads without a squad number but they’ve worked hard throughout the off-season and they’re tough kids as well.”
Huddersfield Giants set for a number of returnees
After crashing out of the cup, Huddersfield will quickly turn their attention to Super League where they’re still seeking a first win and they could be bolstered by some returning players.
Robinson explained: “(Tanguy) Zenon was cup-tied this week so there is potential for him to come in next week. Zac Woolford has potential to come in next week and I’m going to go and have a meeting now with the physio team and the S&C team to try bend their ear and try get some others back potentially a week early.
“I think there’s going to be a bit of an argument between me and them about who wins,” he then joked, before addressing the reality of the situation.
“We need all hands on deck, we need as many players back as we can and we need some experience but what I don’t want to do is bring anyone back early and it be a detriment to them as individuals, and us as a club.
“We’ve had players at the club over the past 12 months who have been brought back too early and they were out for a long duration. I think it would be heartbreaking not only for the club but for the individuals so we’ve got to do the right thing.”
On the injury crisis as a whole, Robinson said: “It’s just one of them things really. It’s heartbreaking for me, for the fans, for Ken, for the club, but you’ve just got to ride out those tough times. Sometimes you just have to take the positives and the positives are that some lads made their debut.”
He was also able to offer some hope, stating: “The light at the end of the tunnel is that we’ve got Swifty, Connor Wrench, Cluney, we’ve got Niall that are all pretty much making an appearance in the next couple of games.
“Then in the not too distant future you’ve got Harry Rushton and Joe Greenwood that are also not far away as well.”
RFL error, coaches under pressure and Super League’s injury crisis – click here to watch the latest episode of the Serious About Rugby League Show
