8 May 2019
THE NUMBERS GAME: GIANTS VS ST HELENS
All the stats, key trends and information ahead of our Sunday Challenge Cup tie against St Helens
By Jack Robinson
The Giants welcome current Betfred Super League leaders St Helens to the John Smith’s Stadium on Sunday evening, as both look to progress to the next round of the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup. We analyse some of the stats of both sides ahead of the game.
Busting through the tackles
A standout stat for the Saints ahead of the fixture this weekend is the amount of tackle busts that they have had so far this season. The Saints have made 620 tackle busts so far this season, that is 49 more than anyone else in the competition, and 218 more than the Giants have managed so far this season. Many of those tackle busts have been by halfback Jonny Lomax, who will be key to the chances of the visitors this weekend. It is even more astonishing when you look at the stats of their tackle busts against Hull KR last weekend alone.
Tackle busts against Hull KR last weekend
- Tommy Makinson – 11
- Jonny Lomax – 6
- Kevin Naiqama – 5
- Alex Walmsley – 5
- James Roby – 4
FOUR for Naiqama 🔥🏉
The @Saints1890 centre punished that Hull line yesterday #NewBeginnings pic.twitter.com/jzHsckIHha
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) April 23, 2019
Coote is key for the Saints
You could pick pretty much anyone based off current form for the player to look out for, for the visitors. Lachlan Coote has taken the place of Ben Barba and has arguably helped the Saints side to perform even better.
A beaut from Coote 👌
The @Saints1890 full-back sets up @ReganGrace5 for his fourth try of 2019 pic.twitter.com/kAReVQMd5D
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) March 11, 2019
The off-season recruit arrived in the Winter from the North Queensland Cowboys and has already had a huge impact.
Coote has eleven try assists to his name already this season, adding five tries too. The fullback has also taken up goal-kicking for his new side this season, kicking 51 out of his 73 attempts. Adding to that Coote has also made 1204 metres so far this season as well.
Making the metres
On April 11th the Giants faced a strong Castleford Tigers team, narrowly beating them 20-18. In that game, the team needed to make good metres to have a chance to keep the Tigers away from their line.
Both the Giants forwards and backs took their fair share of the ball throughout the game, as they manged to hold off the Tigers.
Q: What can you get for a tenner these days?
A: A ticket to see the Giants face off against the League Leaders, @Saints1890
🎟️ Tickets for the our Challenge Cup clash against St Helens are now available
Get yours now 👉 https://t.co/5LBLh878F7 #HuddersfieldBorn pic.twitter.com/MfCyAvQx4d
— Huddersfield Giants (@Giantsrl) May 7, 2019
Top Giants metre makers v Castleford Tigers (11.04.19)
Suaia Matagi – 172 meters
Jordan Turner – 141 meters
Jermaine McGilvary – 132 meters
Ukuma Ta’ai – 131 meters
Kruise Leeming – 99 meters
Super Darnell's Giant Carries
On the opposite side to St Helens’ Coote is the Giants’ 21-year-old fullback, Darnell McIntosh.
McIntosh himself has had a good start to the season, which included him signing a new contract.
"I'm from Huddersfield and come through the ranks here. I think I've made the right decision."@darnel_mcintosh has signed a contract with Huddersfield, keeping him at the club until 2021
Read more 👉 https://t.co/BhV8K5NEpP#HuddersfieldBorn pic.twitter.com/6QzAH4dUsY
— Huddersfield Giants (@Giantsrl) April 15, 2019
The Giants fullback has made 1479 metres so far this season for his home-town club. That’s an average gain of 7.78 metres everytime he runs the ball. The Englishman has scored six tries of his own, whilst assisting nine for his teammates.
McIntosh has also made 13 clean breaks so far this season for the Giants.
Get your St Helens tickets now!