26 Apr 2019

THE LOWDOWN - GIANTS VS WOLVES

All the information you need as the Giants and Wolves clash this Sunday at the Halliwell Jones Stadium

The Brief:

Huddersfield Giants are aiming to secure back-to-back wins after picking up a narrow 24-19 victory last week against London, however, Warrington will also be looking to clinch back-to-back wins having beat Hull KR on Easter Monday.

Both teams lock horns at the Halliwell Jones Stadium on Sunday 28th April at 3.00pm.

Team News: 

The Opposition:

Last year Warrington Wolves finished runners up in two different competitions. They finished runner up in the Challenge Cup final at Wembley where they got beat 20-14 by Catalans Dragons. They couldnโ€™t manage to go one step further in the Grand Final as they finished runner up for the 4th time in their history. Wigan Warriors beat them 12-4 with Warringtonโ€™s only try coming from Josh Charnley. The Wolves finished 4th in the Betfred Super League but won Super League Club of the Year at the end of season awards.

They lost Tyrone Roberts, George King, Bodene Thompson, Dom Crosby and Ben Pomeroy in the offseason but excellently strengthened their squad for the 2019 season. They signed NRL stars Blake Austin and Jason Clark from Canberra Raiders and South Sydney Rabbitohs respectively. They also signed Lama Tasi, Danny Walker and Jake Mamo from Salford Red Devils, Widens Vikings and Huddersfield Giants respectively. 

Form:

Huddersfield have two wins in their last four. They were narrowly beaten by one point against Wakefield before picking up a narrow 20-18 win against Castleford Tigers. They were beaten on Good Friday by rivals Leeds Rhinos but got back to winning ways on Easter Monday with a 24-19 win thanks to tries from Mellor, Grix and a brace from McGillvary.

Warrington have lost three out of 12 this year and picked up two wins out of four in April. They beat London 48-12, was beaten 38-12 by St Helens. They lost on Good Friday 12-36 by Salford Red Devils but got back to winning ways with an emphatic 6-54 win against Hull KR.

Key Players:

Blake Austin

Blake Austin signed for Warrington in the off-season as their marquee player. He is a Portugal international half-back and has made over 100 appearances in the NRL playing for Penrith Panthers, West Tigers and Canberra Raiders.

Austin won was named as the Dally M Five-Eighth of the Year in 2015 and has represented Portugal at the Cabramatta International Nines and was selected to represent City Origin in 2015. He leads the Steve Prescott Man of Steel awards on 15 points and is joint 1st in the try scoring chart with 12 tries.

Alex Mellor

It could be said that Alex Mellor is playing some of his best rugby and he will want to once again put a shift in when the two teams go to battle. He has five tries to his name so far and in 89 carries, the second-rower has made 641 metres. He has 15 tackle busts and an average gin of 7.2 and the Giants will look to their number 12 for inspiration against a physical Warrington pack.

Key Battles:

Josh Charnley Vs Jermaine McGillvary

Josh Charnley will look to continue his impressive scoring record in rugby league on Sunday and has will want to add to his 12 tries this year. Charnley has made 1417 metres in 173 carries and has made 14 clean breaks and 28 tackle busts.

Jermaine McGillvary has eight tries for the Giants so far and they will look to their influential player for inspiration against the Wolves. He has made an impressive 1485 metres in 159 carries and has made 17 clean breaks and 51 tackle busts so far.

Which winger will score the most points and inspire their team to victory?

Daryl Clark Vs Kruise Leeming

The hookers will be pivotal in deciding who will win the game. They will want to lay the platform for the pack. Warrington boast one of the biggest packs in the league and Clark is vital for the Wolves. Clark has four tries and nine assists in 12 games this year. He has made 1068 metres, 45 tackle busts and 88 runs from dummy half and the Giants cannot allow him time on the ball or space to run

He will go against Giants number 9 Kruise Leeming. Leeming has four tries and five assists in 12 games and has made 782 metres in 132 carries. He has 94 runs from dummy half and has only missed 22 tackles in 413 attempts and he will have to perform to his best if he wants to outwit the Warrington defence. Which #9 will be the most influential on Sunday?

Did You Know?

Both Head Coaches have a connection with St George Illawarra, Simon Woolford played for them in 2007-08, meanwhile, Steve Price played for them between 1996-98 and coach them in 2012 till 2014.

Previous Meetings:

The last meeting between the sides Warrington won 20-32 in February 2019. Warrington had not won at Huddersfield since March 2014. Tries from McGillvary, English, Turner and Uate werenโ€™t enough as the Wolves secured victory and the Giants will be looking for revenge on Sunday. 

Tickets:

Buy your Warrington Tickets now


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