Jim Lenihan’s first words as new Huddersfield Giants boss confirms arrival date, first plans and desired identity

Huddersfield Giants new head coach Jim Lenihan has spoken publicly for the first time since his appointment, detailing what fans of the club can expect going forward as well as revealing when he will arrive in England.

Lenihan coached his final game as Brisbane Tigers boss this weekend, a narrow 14-12 defeat, but he’ll now set about the process of packing up his life and travelling to England, something he did back in the 1990s when he signed for the Giants.

This time he’ll arrive as head coach and speaking on the Huddersfield Giants YouTube channel, he has confirmed when that will be: “Hopefully, I’ll be in Huddersfield Monday week so pretty much a week from now I’ll be getting on a plane, Sunday 17th, hopefully visas permitting, so I should be landing into Huddersfield some time on the 18th.”

That would put him in England in time to at least meet the Giants squad ahead of their tough away test against Leeds Rhinos though it’s unclear how much involvement he’ll have for that game.

On his first tasks, Lenihan said: “The first part of it is that I get to go over and have a fresh look with fresh eyes on everyone so it’s a great opportunity for everyone who is in the squad to have a fresh leaf, put their best foot forward and then everyone gets the opportunity to play on their own merits.

“We want people who want to play for the club, we want people who want to fight for the club and it’s important that we have like-minded people who want to represent the Giants.”

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Huddersfield Giants boss opens up on appointment

As someone who has represented Huddersfield before, albeit only for a year, the Australian is familiar with the town and therefore clear on the identity that he wants to create for his team.

“I’m so excited and super grateful for the opportunity. I’m very proud of Huddersfield and really look forward to the opportunity of going back there in a coaching role and putting ourselves in the best place we can moving forward.

“I like to be involved with a side that is very connected, loves to play football together, enjoy each other’s company and then go out and represent themselves and the community well.

“We want to be a football town that is a strong representation of the community that we play for and a hard-working honest community like Huddersfield deserves a hard-working honest football team, so we want to be a side that are physical and work hard every week.”

Being appointed so early means that Lenihan can and will be involved in the club’s squad-building process for 2027, something that he has said is ‘absolutely important’.

“Put the feet under the desk and have a look at where we’re at at the moment,” he said when asked about recruitment, adding: “(I need to) see where we’ve got to improve, see what we’re doing well, and if we can add personnel to the squad that can improve our on-field and off-field performance then I think it’s imperative that we get a good idea of the characters in the club now and who we want to bring in.”

He also confirmed that he’s previously worked with two of the Giants squad before, including the most recent Huddersfield signing, Cole Geyer.

Lenihan said: “I’ve actually worked with a couple of guys over there, Tristan Powell and Cole Geyer, who I think has just been signed. They’re two guys I’ve had previous experience with in Australia, I certainly know those guys and certainly know a lot of the faces in the squad.”

In a parting message to the fans about what to expect, he said: “The biggest thing I want to do at the moment is be part of a team that is a reflection of the community, to be a side that is proud and fights every week. I’m looking forward to earning the respect and trust of everyone there at Huddersfield.”