10 Jan 2020
The Lowdown: #JerryTestimonial
As we start our season by hosting Halifax RLFC in Jermaine McGillvary's testimonial
The Brief
Sunday’s match-up sees a return of the Infirmary Cup, as the Giants take on local rivals Halifax in a game celebrating the career of Jermaine McGillvary. It is the first time the fixture has been played since 2015 - a game where McGillvary scored a try - and Huddersfield will be looking to put on a show with their new stars all in the 24-man squad.
📰 Aidan Sezer is amongst the names in Simon Woolford’s first squad of 2020 for #JerryTestimonial against @Halifax_RLFC
See the full 25-man squad ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Mu8OKcMiWU
— Huddersfield Giants (@Giantsrl) January 6, 2020
The Opposition
Halifax will come into the contest looking to pull no punches and pull off another victory to lift their confidence going into what is sure to be a well fought and tough Championship competition.
Ben Kavanagh will be a big miss for the visitors after he picked up a serious knock last week, but Murrell and co. will be looking to impose the same fate on Huddersfield as they did Hull FC last week.
Goooood morning 🔵⚪️ Army
When you wake up and realise it’s just 2️⃣ more days until we are back in action against @Giantsrl 👊🏻
Look at those guns 💪🏼#BlueWorldOrder pic.twitter.com/uNWCs4BYZA
— Halifax Rugby League Club (@Halifax_RLFC) January 10, 2020
Players like Tom Gilmore, Jodie Broughton, Dan Fleming and Elliott Morris add a Super League feel to a top Championship outfit, that is now coached by former Giant Scott Grix.
Last time out they saw off a mixed Hull FC side that included names like Josh Griffin, Albert Kelly and Ratu Naulago. Halifax came out 18-10 victors.
Key Players
Scott Murrell
Rugby league fans up and down the country may have been forgiven for passing by Murrell but his outstanding performances in Halifax’s historic Challenge Cup run last season saw his profile raised 10-fold, and now the fast-thinking stand-off looks set and ready to go for the 2020 season.
His one performance this season was slightly overshadowed by a few of his teammates but it is clear that his leadership on and off the field are part of the reason Halifax continue to compete with the best in the 2nd tier, despite only being a part-time side.
James Gavet
I’m sure many will have another new name at the front of their minds for this week's key player, but part of the big problem in last season’s campaign was the lack of platform being created by a constantly changing pack, albeit that was uncontrollable due to injuries.
Gavet comes into the side having plenty of experience at the top level, having made appearances for his heritage nation Samoa, alongside that he has made bagfuls of appearances in the NRL competition, in opposition to some of the best forwards in the game.
Get Ready, @SuperLeague.#TheEnforcer. Coming Soon. pic.twitter.com/4FiamGkGDb
— Huddersfield Giants (@Giantsrl) October 17, 2019
His experience and extremely visible presence will be hard for teams to cope with and it will be key that the big Samoan Enforcer gets his season off to the best possible start.
Key Battle
Aidan Sezer v Tom Gilmore
Two new signings, two talented scrum-halves, and two very different season’s ahead.
Aidan Sezer joins the Giants as the first ever Marquee player and has been given all the weight of expectant fans, as well as the captain's “armband”. He finished his last season in the NRL with a Grand Final appearance and some impressive in-field kicking stats.
Aidan Sezer has been appointed Huddersfield Giants captain for the 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣0️⃣ Season
Read more ⬇️ https://t.co/NKsohKcgKn
— Huddersfield Giants (@Giantsrl) January 10, 2020
He will be expected to perform and to lead this new Giants team with the same sort of class that he led the likes of Josh Papali and Elliot Whitehead, and this will be his first chance to get a feel for his side and the partnerships that will form over the course of the season.
After Sezer left Canberra, England back-rowers comments on twitter stating “the little general will be missed”, shows you just the talent this man has at controlling the game and a lot of Huddersfield progression will lie with the newest ‘little’ Giant.
Tom Gilmore on the flip-side joins Halifax after a couple of underperforming seasons at Widnes, but with the club going through such trouble it is hard to pinpoint exactly how much of that downfall you can rest on the shoulders of Gilmore.
Gilmore has Super League experience and can be the best player on the field when surrounded by full internationals. His previous England Knight’s call-ups proves the potential that has always been held by the new number 7 and with an almost full game under his belt, he’ll be ready to bring his A game to the John Smith’s stadium.
Previous Meetings
This historic rivalry is not played nearly as often as some of the other derby games in the English game. The last competitive game was back in 2003, in a game that Huddersfield dominated away at the Shay, running out 54-12 winners on that day.
The most recent game was back in 2015, when Huddersfield ran out 38-6 victors away to Halifax. Jodie Broughton and Jermaine McGillvary were both try-scorers for the claret and gold that day, but this time the two will face up against each other, with the former trying to ruin the party for McGillvary on his testimonial.
Partners
