Wigan Warriors finally ended their losing run as they recovered from a 12-0 deficit to record a 16-12 home win over the Huddersfield Giants. The win takes the Warriors back up to fifth ahead of Hull Kingston Rovers whereas the Giants slip to 11th behind the Salford Red Devils who emphatically defeated Castleford Tigers today.
Major Talking Points:
1. The road to recovery for Wigan?
They finally got the monkey of their back by winning for the first time since May but will Wigan kick on from here and get their season back on track? Okay, they are missing a few personnel but they started slow once again and it almost proved costly. Credit where it is due, they came back, even shutting out the Giants in the second half, but do Wigan have what it takes to climb back up the table?
2. What now for Huddersfield?
Despite another brave effort, the Giants ultimately fell short, suffering their fifth consecutive defeat sees them drop down a place. They are without a number of stars and perhaps lost one more as Olly Ashall-Bott left the field with a head injury and never returned so the match may have been a costly one. Though they brought in Leigh duo Nathaniel Peteru and Nathan Peats on loan, Huddersfield still have a lot of work to do as the play-offs that many tipped them for are becoming a ‘pipe dream’.
3. Game Management
Or lack of it? Both sides were guilty of some serious ‘brain farts’ that allowed major changes in momentum. Huddersfield led 12-0 and perhaps should have been further ahead but a mistake here and there allowed Wigan to score just before half-time which arguably changed the swing of the contest. However, the Warriors did not close out the game easily, giving away cheap possession in the final few minutes and narrowly avoided extra-time or defeat when Louis Senior’s late try was denied.
Player Ratings:
Wigan Warriors
31. Jackson Hastings – 7
30. Umyla Hanley – 6
22. Jake Bibby – 7
4 – Oliver Gildart – 7
5 – Liam Marshall – 7
7 – Thomas Leuluai – 7
20 – Harry Smith – 7
8 – Brad Singleton – 7
9 – Sam Powell – 7
17 – Tony Clubb – 6
27 – Kai Pearce-Paul – 8
12 – Liam Farrell – 7
10 – Joe Bullock – 6
Substitutes
19 – Liam Byrne – 6
23 – Mitch Clark – 7
25 – Joe Shorrocks – 6
34 – Brad O’Neill – 6
Huddersfield Giants
1 – Ashton Golding – 7
24 – Louis Senior – 7
3 – Jake Wardle – 7
21 Leroy Cudjoe – 8
31 – Olly Ashall-Bott – 7
27 – Sam Wood – 7
23 – Olly Russell – 6
8 – Luke Yates – 7
33 – Nathan Peats – 7
22 – James Gavet – 7
13 – Josh Jones – 7
17 – Chris McQueen – 7
15 – Joe Greenwood – 7
Substitutes
26 – Sam Hewitt – 6
32 – Will Pryce – 6
34 – Nathaniel Peteru – 7
35 – Robson Stevens – N/A
