EORL CRABTREE is targeting a return to competitive action before the start of Super League XVII.

The popular Giants prop underwent major shoulder surgery at the end of last season in a bid to be fit for the opening games of the 2012 campaign at Wigan Warriors on Sunday, February 5.

But with the 29-year-old’s operation having gone as well as could have been hoped and his rehabilitation going even better, Crabtree is confident of playing in at least one of the Giants’ pre-season fixtures.

Huddersfield kick off their trial programme with a trip to Castleford Tigers on Friday, January 13, before heading to Wigan six days later for Sean O’Loughlin’s testimonial clash.

The Giants then visit Batley Bulldogs on Sunday, January 22 and then head to Halifax for their Infirmary Cup clash seven days later.

Galpharm chief Brown intends to field his strongest sides for the tests against fellow Super League sides Castleford and Wigan.

But Crabtree has revealed he’d be happy to wait until the later games against Co-operative Championship clubs Batley and Halifax to make his return – if that makes more sense.

“Right now, I’m ahead of schedule, and I obviously hope that continues,” said Crabtree.

“When I first had the surgery, I’d been told I could be back for the start of the season, and I was happy with that.

“But with the way things are going, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be available for the pre-season games, including the one at Cas a week on Friday.

“Obviously, I’ll leave that to the medical staff, because they might feel I’d benefit from getting a couple more weeks of rehab under my belt. It would be pointless bringing me back a week too soon, especially when it’s a pre-season game.

Source: Examiner

Catalan will play on Saturday night regardless of whether they finish 5th or 6th:

Fri 16 Sept QPO1 Warrington v HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS LIVE Kick Off 8:00pm
Sat 17 Sept EPO1 Catalan v Hull KR LIVE LIVE Kick Off 6:45pm
Sun 18 Sept QPO2 Wigan v St Helens. Kick Off 2:45pm
Sun 18 Sept EPO2 Leeds v Hull FC LIVE Kick Off 5:15pm

Fri 23 Sept Huddersfield v Leeds or Catalan
Sat 24 Sept Saints or Wigan v Catalan or Hull

Below is the up-to-date situation on the end dates of Huddersfield Giants players and notable staff
Part Time
Jamie Love

2012
Tony Tonks
Tommy Lee
Larne Patrick
Adam Walker
Jacob Fairbank
Ross Peltier

Nathan Brown (coach)
Paul Anderson (assistant coach)

2013

Lee Gilmour
Luke O’Donnell (plus 1 year option)
David Fa’alogo
David Faiumu
Jamie Cording
Matt Dawson
Jon Molloy
Matty Sarsfield

2014

Scott Grix
Joe Wardle
Dale Ferguson
Greg Eden
Luke George
Josh Johnson

2015

Kevin Brown
Danny Brough
Eorl Crabtree
Luke Robinson
Shaun Lunt
Keith Mason
Jason Chan
Aaron Murphy

2016

Michael Lawrence
Leroy Cudjoe
Jermaine McGillvary

It contained two outstanding candidates for try of the season but the most pleasing aspect of Huddersfield’s impressive win over St Helens at the weekend was the make-up of their team.

The high-flying Giants have fielded just one overseas player in their 17-man squad for each of their last two matches and by some distance are the Super League team with the least reliance on imports.

Even St Helens, who have a proud and enviable record of producing their own talent, included three overseas players in their injury-decimated squad for the game at the Galpharm Stadium.

Huddersfield have long since adopted a “best of British” policy which has dove-tailed nicely with the Rugby Football League’s tightening of the overseas quota.

The game’s governing body introduced a “club-trained” rule in 2008 to force Super League outfits to give opportunities to more home-grown talent, with a view to enlarging the player pool available for the England team, and the Giants have been particularly pro-active.

“We have had a policy of British where possible for five or six years,” said Huddersfield managing director Richard Thewlis.

“Had we been more overseas-based say between 2005 and 2007, the restrictions could have been a problem but, when Jon Sharp was coach at the club, we made a conscious decision to target the young players at other clubs who were on the fringe of international honours.

“That formed the basis of our recruitment policy and it has really carried on from there.”

Wigan were a rich source of the Giants’ initial recruitment – Stephen Wild, Martin Aspinwall, Kevin Brown, Luke Robinson and David Hodgson all made their names with the Warriors.

But the club’s recent development work on their own doorstep is now reaping rewards, with Saturday’s line-up including four Huddersfield born-and-bred players, two of whom went on England’s Four Nations tour to Australia and New Zealand last autumn.

Eorl Crabtree and Leroy Cudjoe are among four Huddersfield players in England coach Steve McNamara’s 32-strong elite training squad while fellow “locals” Jermaine McGillvary and Michael Lawrence are among five club representatives in the England Knights party.

The Huddersfield squad is in fact bulging at the seams, with eight British players currently either on loan or playing on a dual registration with Championship clubs.

Jamie Cording, Gregg McNally, Jon Molloy, Kyle Wood, Elliott Hodgson, Jacob Fairbank, Adam Walker and Keal Carlile are following a path trodden successfully by McGillvary and more recently Joe Wardle, who scored his first Super League try in the 40-18 win over St Helens.

Not that the Giants are completely against the use of overseas players. They had New Zealander David Faiumu in their line-up against Saints, while Luke O’Donnell, David Fa’algo and Jamie Simpson were on the sidelines carrying injuries.

They were also known to have made a play for Willie Mason in the close season before he opted to join Hull KR and, while subsequent events surrounding the controversial Australian might have prompted a certain amount of smug satisfaction at the Galpharm, Huddersfield accept such high-profile signings add a touch of colour and excitement to Super League.

It is a matter of finding the right balance and concentrating on the imports who add value to the competition.

“Rugby league supporters really enjoy the overseas players at their clubs, both for their abilities on the field and the community work they undertake,” added Thewlis. “We take them into our hearts.”

Huddersfield captain Kevin Brown has claimed England’s rugby league squad is no longer ‘picked on form’ as he prepares to lead the Giants into the top-of-the-table clash with St Helens.

Brown was a shock omission from Steve McNamara’s plans despite his starring role in Huddersfield’s rise to prominence in the Engage Super League.

The former Wigan ace, 26, has been central to his side reaching the halfway point of the season as joint-leaders. But while nine of his team-mates were included in McNamara’s 32-man elite squad or the England Knights  set-up, Brown was discarded.

No cheer: Kevin Brown of Huddersfield has been left out of the England squad

He said: ‘It can’t have been picked on form, and I didn’t really get much of an explanation — it was just a phone call to say that I wasn’t in, and that he’d gone with other players, which I respected.’

Brown added: ‘Last year I started the mid-season Test and then started the Tests on tour, so to not be picked at all was a surprise, especially when guys were being picked who were injured and their form wasn’t great anyway.

‘I’d love to be involved but I can’t change things. I’m not going to try any harder or any less because I’ve not been picked — I always try my best. If I get re-picked then I get re-picked.’

Brown and half-back partner Danny Brough will tonight be expected to push the Giants to victory against a Saints side missing Leon Pryce, Kyle Eastmond and  Jonny Lomax.

However, Huddersfield have struggled in the last fortnight, losing 13-12 against Catalans Dragons before edging past  part-timers Batley in a tense Challenge Cup tie.

‘We need a massive improvement,’ admitted Brown. ‘We’ve highlighted a lot of areas where we can do better, but it’s something we’ve done before.

‘It’s only three or four weeks ago that we were beating Warrington and Leeds. A lot of it just boils down to effort and commitment.’

The new Giants skipper is determined to lead from the front. He said: ‘I just try to lead by example. It’s no good talking about it if you’re not actually doing it.’

Source: Daily Mail

Leeds Rhinos coach Brian McDermott last night accused Super League leaders Huddersfield Giants of “cowardice” and feigning injury as he launched a staunch defence of his volatile prop Ryan Bailey.

The ex-Great Britain star appears before the RFL disciplinary this evening charged with punching Huddersfield captain Kevin Brown during an explosive fracas in their 38-6 loss.

Bailey faces a two-match ban if found guilty which would rule him out of struggling Leeds’ Easter programme starting with Thursday’s derby trip to Bradford.

But McDermott believes the fiery front-row – who was red-carded along with Giants’ Luke O’Donnell – had been purposely targeted by the opposition and was only dismissed because of his previous perception by others.

He also insisted he would not try and alter the approach of Bailey, who has courted controversy throughout his 10 year top-flight career.

In a clear reference to rivals’ tactics – and subsequent in-action from the disciplinary chiefs – McDermott said: “Study Ryan Bailey’s game and tell me where he hits people off the ball or where he head-high tackles as I can’t find any.

“Does he wind people up? Yes. Is he an aggressive forward? Yes. Does he do cheap shots? No.

“Does he put people into dangerous positions where they are going to trap limbs or come in third man trying to spear peoples’ knees where they can’t protect themselves, things I’m watching? One hundred per cent not.

“At times he gets drawn into the opposition.

“If they chelp at him, scratch this, stamp that and there’s a bit of a fracas he’s the first bloke everyone runs up to.

“I think on Friday they had a script on Ryan Bailey and he fell into that trap.

“The referee sent him off because of his perception.

“He grits his teeth, growls and waves his fists, something they don’t want to see in our game.

“I thought what the opposition did to him after the fight was cowardice – although I’m not saying he was guilt-free – and does anyone mention one of their players was faking being unconscious in the build-up?

“That irks me to death; that’s soccer – it’s never been us.”

Stand-off Brown could be suspended for one-match for his part in the incident, but O’Donnell has avoided a ban after the match review panel accepted he never actually threw a single punch.

source: YEP

Robbie Hunter-Paul believes that 2011 could be the year his old club Huddersfield Giants claim silverware.

After briefly going top of Super League following Friday night’s 29-10 victory over Challenge Cup holders Warrington, the Giants are second in Super League.

And, having finished third in 2009, as well as runners-up in the Challenge Cup, they are getting closer.

“I’ve been tipping them for the last few years. This could be the one,” Hunter-Paul told the Super League Show.

“They are finding great consistency and that’s vital.”

Nathan Brown’s men have been beaten just twice this season in nine matches – by leaders Castleford and champions Wigan.

“They are now very strong at home,” said Hunter-Paul. “And they have learnt how to control games against the big teams.”

One of their star turns this season has been back-row forward Luke O’Donnell, who has been chosen as coach Brian McClennan’s third pick for the Super League Exiles squad to play England at Headingley on 10 June.

O’Donnell joins captain Danny Buderus and vice-captain Thomas Leuluai as automatic selections in the team of NRL-trained overseas stars based in Super League.

“Luke O’Donnell as a massive amount of international experience, having played Origin and international footy in recent years,” said McClennan. “He will add strength to the back row.”

“Luke is probably the buy of the year,” added Giants coach Brown. “He’s a terrific player.”

DELIGHTED Giants coach Nathan Brown believes his side will have to go and win at Leeds Rhinos next Friday night to prove they are the real deal.

In-form Huddersfield returned to the top of the Super League table with a highly convincing 29-10 win over previous leaders Warrington Wolves at the Galpharm Stadium.

The Giants performance earned praise from beaten Wolves coach Tony Smith, who admitted his former club thoroughly deserved their victory.

But Brown is refusing to get carried with his side’s exploits at this stage.

“It is obviously a great effort to beat a side like Warrington and keep them to 10 points,” said Brown.

“But there is still a long way to go before we can think about how far we can get in the competition.

“The good teams are the ones who end up becoming champions, and they are the ones who can back up one good win with another.

“Wigan managed it last year and that’s what we have to aspire to.

“That’s exactly what we have the opportunity to do next week at Leeds.

“This week have beaten one title contender and now we have the chance to beat another.

“We’ll know a lot more about ourselves and how good a side we are after that.”

Former Giants coach Smith added: “We can’t make excuses for what went on and we were beaten by a better side who thoroughly deserved their victory.

source: Examiner

Warrington coach Tony Smith paid tribute to his former club Huddersfield as they went clear at the top of Engage Super League with a clinical 29-10 victory over the Wolves.

Smith’s side went into game at the Galpharm Stadium as leaders but were thoroughly outplayed by the Giants, who made it three wins in a row over their 2009 Challenge Cup conquerors to provide further evidence of their genuine title credentials.

“They were very good, they out-enthused us,” admitted Smith, who was in charge of Huddersfield from 2000-03. “Technically they were a lot better than us in a lot of areas.

“Our completion rate was atrocious, we didn’t build a game until the last five or 10 minutes of the first half.

“When you give the Giants a start like that, it’s hard to claw it back. They are a very good team and deserve to be where they are at the moment.”

The Wolves were without veteran stand-off Lee Briers as they suffered a second defeat in six days but Smith down-played the significance of his absence.

“Not if you saw him last week,” he said. “We’ve got a few players not in their best form. They’ve had a dip in form, some more than others.

“The people on the field were good enough to win and we didn’t do that, down mainly to the opposition.

“We’re in a slump at the moment, our form over the last two weeks has been poor but I’m sure we’ll get it back and soon.”

Warrington, who were kept in touch at half-time by two tries from former Huddersfield captain Brett Hodgson, conceded only one try in the second half but were undone by a lack of discipline.

“They were trying to dig their way out,” admitted Smith. “They’ve got pride and want to do better and I think there was some frustration.”

Huddersfield dominated from the start and established an 18-10 interval lead thanks to tries from Scott Grix, Luke Robinson and Larne Patrick, while Danny Brough kept the scoreboard ticking over in the second half with two penalties and a drop goal before converting Jermaine McGillvary’s last-minute try.

“We’re happy with how we’re ticking over,” said Giants coach Nathan Brown. “To keep Warrington to 10 points is something to be really proud of.

“From an attacking point of view, we didn’t start the second half that well but to get a win like that, the guys should be very happy.”

Brown was particularly happy with tough-tackling Australian forward Luke O’Donnell and home-grown winger McGillvary, who overcame a heavy knock to the head to play a key role in the victory.

“Luke O’Donnell is probably the buy of the year, he’s a terrific player,” said Brown.

“Jerry got KO’d in the first half and could easily have waved the white flag but he not only stayed on the field but got involved in the game.

“You’ve got to be tough to play this game and I’m so proud of him.”

source: Sporting Life

IMPRESSIVE Huddersfield Giants clearly put forward their title credentials last night as they overcame an ill-disciplined Warrington Wolves to usurp the Engage Super League leaders in a brutal encounter.

On an evening when champions Wigan also suffered a crushing 47-28 home defeat to struggling Catalan – they head to Hull KR on Friday seeking a first win in four games – Nathan Brown’s team flew the flag for Yorkshire by easing into pole position following a performance rich in character and skill.

Ignoring a series of sickening high challenges from their rattled opponents who could easily have seen ex-England captain Adrian Morley and David Solomona dismissed, Huddersfield took command to continue their recent dominance over the Challenge Cup holders.

Just as they did during their opening day win in Cardiff, and last season’s play-off success at Halliwell Jones Stadium, the well-organised Giants defended with passion, Australian loose forward Luke O’Donnell an imposing presence throughout, while dissecting the visitors courtesy of more brilliance from England hooker Luke Robinson, captain Kevin Brown and the increasingly striking Jermaine McGillvary.

Even their influential former captain Brett Hodgson, making his first return to the Galpharm, was powerless to prevent Huddersfield’s march, his two first-half tries rendered worthless as his old colleagues easily shut out the muddled Cheshire outfit in the second period.

Warrington sorely missed the organisational quality of injured Lee Briers, inept deputy Chris Bridge proving he may be an England centre but certainly not a stand-off, but it was Huddersfield’s aggression in defence which caused so many of their opponents’ problems forming the foundation for their seventh win of the season.

They established an 18-10 interval lead which should have been more given their dominance, breathless Warrington needing Hodgson to slice over just before the break to keep them in it.

Huddersfield struck after just four minutes, Brown’s long pass too easily giving Leroy Cudjoe enough space to suck in Rhys Evans and feed McGillvary whose clever kick back infield bounced perfectly for Scott Grix who was doing what any decent full-back should do.

Brough improved but, after Lee Gilmour wasted a glorious overlap opportunity, knocking on in his own half, Warrington made them pay immediately.

Bridge’s crossfield kick was miscued but Joel Monaghan rescued it for Matty Blythe to kick infield, Joel Monaghan doing brilliantly to pick up and send Hodgson scrambling over.

The ex-Man of Steel converted his own score but was needed to desperately scramble across and palm Brown’s kick dead after some fine build-up work from the mighty O’Donnell.

Morley earned a reputation as a hot-headed young prop but those days seemed long gone and it has been some time since the now esteemed forward has delivered such a crude high tackle as the one that left McGillvary bloodied and dazed in the 15th minute.

The young England Knights winger recovered sufficiently to go on and deliver another robust display, gaining his seventh try of the year to finish Warrington off, but Morley’s team-mates seemed intent on following their captain’s ill-disciplined lead.

Louis Anderson went head-hunting for a five-minute spell while Solomona was lucky to escape a card in the second period when he launched himself at the hard-running Larne Patrick.

Earlier, Bridge’s wild pass to Hodgson put Warrington back under more pressure and Brough’s chip saw the doomed Hodgson gang-tackled behind his own line for another drop out.

From there, a lovely-timed short pass from Robinson sent Patrick charging to the line in the 22nd minute and they extended their lead 10 minutes later

After Brough’s kick was charged down, Huddersfield laid siege once more following a fantastic weaving run from Scott Grix, Robinson exposing weak line defence to dive over from dummy half, his fourth try in as many games since returning from injury.

Brough added his third conversion before Hodgson’s second try – the Australia arcing over in customary fashion out wide – but Huddersfield dominated the second period.

McGillvary, a powerful and forceful runner, was denied a perfectly good try eight minutes after the re-start when Brown tipped Grix’s lofted pass over to the winger only to see it pulled back for a forward pass.

Solomona ran over to Patrick immediately to apologise to his former Bradford team-mate after that high tackle and Richard Silverwood opted against a card but Brough did not let him off by slotting the penalty.

When Ben Westwood ripped possession off Patrick in a two-man tackle, Brough made it 22-10 approaching the final quarter of the match.

When he tagged on a drop goal in the 63rd minute, Warrington heads visibly dropped and it was left to the deserving McGillvary to finish the job late on, latching on to another exquisite pinpoint Brown pass, Brough landing the touchline conversion.

Nathan Brown got his tactics and selection right once more – internationals Darrell Griffin and David Hodgson were left out but Patrick certainly made the most of his chance – and they head to Leeds on Friday with a growing sense of belief.

Huddersfield: Grix; McGillvary, Cudjoe, Lawrence, Simpson; Brown, Brough; Crabtree, Robinson, Raleigh, Gilmour, Ferguson, O’Donnell. Substitutes: Lunt, Faiumu, Patrick, Kirmond.

Warrington: Hodgson; J Monaghan, Blythe Atkins, Evans; Bridge, Myler; Morley, M Monaghan, Carvell, Anderson, Westwood, Harrison. Substitutes: Clarke, Wood, Cooper, Solomona.

Referee: R Silverwood (Mirfield).

source: Yorkshire Post