Leopards strength in depth, Giants fighting spirit and Huddersfield Giants v Leigh Leopards talking points

Super League round thirteen kicked off on Thursday night as Huddersfield Giants hosted Leigh Leopards at the John Smith’s Stadium.

The Giants had their fourteenth debutant of the season, with prop Tristan Powell from Burleigh Bears featuring in his first game.

Leigh Leopards welcomed back fullback David Armstrong but were without both Ethan O’Neill and Gareth O’Brien as coach Adrian Lam was forced into a couple of changes.

Despite a fighting spirit from the Huddersfield side towards the end of the game, it was Leigh who came out on top with a 28-24 victory away from home.

That moves them up to third in the Super League table, with the Giants still lanquishing in eleventh.

Here were the main talking points from the Huddersfield Giants v Leigh Leopards game on Thursday night.

Huddersfield Giants v Leigh Leopards talking points

Leigh’s strength in depth

Head coach Adrian Lam has at least two options in just about every position, made obvious with Josh Charnley missing out. With David Armstrong’s return at fullback, Bailey Hodgson only made the bench, coming on for the last ten minutes, with many fans dismayed at him not starting. With Gareth O’Brien missing out due to HIA protocols, Ben McNamara stepped up yet again and looked like he’s playing at his best. Frankie Halton came in to replace to injured Ethan O’Neill too and had a great game in the forward pack.

Huddersfield getting bodies back finally

Huddersfield boss Luke Robinson could finally could start his preferred halfback pairing of Tui Lolohea and Adam Clune, along with Zac Woolford at hooker. When the Giants had the ball and the pair combined, you could see glimpses of what the team could do in attack. However, the Leopards simply didn’t allow them to get many decent efforts in attack.

Giants fighting spirit on display

Huddersfield seemed to get a second wind in the final ten minutes, scoring twice in the final few minutes through a Sam Halsall break and Leroy Cudjoe’s plucky effort. Robinson will be pleased with their efforts and attitude in this one, despite losing once again. However, they looked like a much improved side from earlier in the season and could soon be getting their next victory, perhaps targeting their Catalans Dragons match at the end of June.

Leopards good at getting the job done

Again, it wasn’t a Leigh performance for the ages but at the mid-point of the season, it’s more important to get the two Super League points right now. There were a few iffy moments in defence, epsecially when Adam Swift got the ball, but they dominated the second half with ball in hand much more. However, Lam won’t be happy with leaking two tries in the final five minutes.

Giants options out wide in attack the most promising

If Huddersfield are going to get any more Super League wins, they need to focus their attack out wide. There was some promise from getting the ball out wide to both sides, but they just couldn’t quite captialise on possession and field position early on. Then once Leigh got a foothold on the game, they couldn’t worm their way back into it.

A lack of atmosphere at the John Smith’s Stadium

Whilst Huddersfield might not be performing at the very best yet due to a myriad of reasons, the atmosphere when at home is pretty flat. Their move to Halifax’s The Shay might be a welcome move because their attendances look poor in such a large stadium. The Sky microphones also picked up the cowbells a little too much too.

⏱️ 𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 and after 80 minutes, Leopards hold on to the win after a late surge by Giants. pic.twitter.com/jI6AaOHp5z

— Leigh Leopards (@LeighLeopardsRL) May 29, 2025