Huddersfield coach sends warning shot to Leigh and Hull KR ahead of crunch clashes

Huddersfield are ‘happy to make it sticky’ for those with something left to play for this season – with Giants boss Jim Lenihan firing a warning shot to upcoming opponents Leigh Leopards and Hull KR.

The Giants have spent much of 2026 marooned at the basement of the Super League ladder, winning only six games in the competition to date this season.

Four of those wins have come in the last five weeks though, with the seeds of improvement under Lenihan starting to spring following his appointment back in May.

The Australian has masterminded victories against York Knights, Hull FC, Catalans Dragons and Toulouse Olympique: and now, he’s targeting the scalp of sides higher up the ladder.

 ‘We’re happy to make it sticky for teams’

Sunday afternoon saw Huddersfield lose out 34-24 away at Warrington Wolves, a side still in the mix for a top two finish this term. The Giants put in a spirited display, one with enough quality to worry Leigh and Hull KR.

Their next two opponents are both hoping to cement play-off spots, and are in need of precious competition points to finish as high up the ladder as they can within the top six.

With the Leopards visiting the Accu Stadium on Thursday night, Huddersfield boss Lenihan said after their narrow loss at Warrington: “We’re happy to make it sticky for teams.

“We’ve got to focus on us, it’s (about) our improvement. We’re enjoying footy at the moment and it’s really important for us to keep doing that.

“We want to keep competing and fighting, and it’s all about the types of people we have in our club.

“We want to be a club that’s proud of who we are and where we’re from. We want to be a club that people are proud to be at, and we want people to fight for us – it’s the biggest thing we talk about.

“(Having) people who want to compete and fight for us is really important for us as a group.”

‘We’re a football team that’s got to keep improving’

Owing to results elsewhere last weekend, Huddersfield now find themselves back in 13th spot, sat second-bottom of Super League: with Bradford Bulls the only side below them on points difference.

After hosting Leigh and travelling to Hull KR, the Giants conclude their 2026 campaign at home against fellow strugglers Castleford Tigers.

Lenihan detailed: “Playing teams lower in the table, we got signs early that we were on top of them, but we didn’t get those signs today (from Warrington).

“Our learning is that when we’re playing the better sides, we’ve got to keep fighting in the dark for longer and throwing punches despite not being able to see where we’re going.

“The instant feedback wasn’t coming back from Warrington that they were going away, and we needed to deal with that today, that’s part of our growth and learning.

“We’re a football team that’s got to keep improving.”