Huddersfield Giants coach sounds NRL warning as honest admission made over 2025 shortcomings

Huddersfield boss Luke Robinson says the Giants must do their utmost to keep hold of their promising youngsters regardless of who comes calling: be it fellow Super League clubs or those Down Under in the NRL.

The Giants won just seven games in the league in an underwhelming 2025 season which never really got going, with this their first full year under the tutelage of head coach Robinson.

Finishing the campaign off with a 30-16 defeat at Leigh Leopards on Friday night, Huddersfield finished 10th on the Super League ladder.

Hampered before the calendar had even turned over into 2025 after picking up injuries to key figures early on in pre-season, the treatment room at the Accu Stadium never really emptied.

Huddersfield Giants coach Luke Robinson sounds NRL warning

The Giants’ injury woes have seen them turn to youngsters frequently throughout the year, with Robinson trusting in the pathway having been heavily involved in it himself over the years.

Speaking after the loss at Leigh, he explained: “I’ve always been someone that wants to promote from within, we’ve always had a really strong academy and our pathway is really good.

“The problem at Huddersfield has not been keeping players, it’s been keeping hold of them.

“We’ve probably produced more NRL players than a lot of other Super League teams: Kruise (Leeming), Dom Young, Will Pryce… they all came through our system.

“The issue for us is trying to keep hold of those (type of players).”

Lewis Jagger became the last debutant of a 2025 campaign which saw more than 40 different players used by Huddersfield across all competitions. The teenager marked his senior debut with a try against Leigh.

Robinson added: “We can take a little bit of inspiration from what happened to Hull last year.

“Hull went through that many injuries that they had to blood young kids in who maybe weren’t ready, and we’ve done that, we did it again today.

“Young (Lewis) Jagger on the wing is only 17 years old, and he’s only trained with the first-team three or four times.

“To step on the field was admirable today and I thought he did a really good job.

“This year, I’ve probably played a few young lads that weren’t ready or needed another 18 months.

“But hopefully in the long run, that experience they’ve had training and playing with us stands us in good stead for next year.”