‘More of a team performance’ – Ian Watson encouraged by Huddersfield improvement in Warrington defeat

Huddersfield coach Ian Watson said he was encouraged by his side’s improved display in their 30-26 loss at Warrington.

The Giants fell short to a 30-26 defeat at Warrington on Saturday evening, putting in an improved performance from their 48-6 hammering against champions St Helens the previous week.

Speaking after the game, Watson was disappointed not to come away with the win, but was pleased with the improvement he saw from his side compared to the one at Magic Weekend.

He said: “That was better from us in terms of a team performance.

“We started to show more of us that when we did turn over we did the right things, when we had some resilience and attitude to defend the line, it was better from us and then it puts you in a position to have a chance of winning the game.

“The team that make the least errors have the better chance of winning games. For the last three weeks, we’ve been getting back to more of what our make-up is so I’m probably more pleased with that one than I was on the back end of the St Helens game last week.

“I think we’ve turned up and performed more like a team, that’s what I’m more pleased about.

“We showed more of an attitude to defend our line when things didn’t go our way, that’s what I’m more pleased about, that’s the character we want.

“If you have that character, you can build your team and your club. It’s pretty simple for me in terms of a process, the key thing for us is ignoring the outside noise, you are always going to get that, nobody likes it and nobody enjoys it but it is what it is.”

Ian Watson confirms injury blow to key man

Huddersfield were dealt a blow when hooker Nathan Peats was forced to leave the field in the first half for a head injury assessment, which he failed, so he was unable to return.

The Giants don’t have a game next week due to the Challenge Cup quarter-finals taking place, so Peats could be available for their next game against Leeds in a fortnight if he completes his return to play concussion protocols.

Watson added: “What we need to do is stay together as a group, work hard and you’ll come through the other side. You could see that it was a bit more of a team performance.”

Next up for Huddersfield is a trip to Headingley to face neighbours Leeds on Friday, June 23 (8pm).

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