Luke Robinson’s first words after Huddersfield Giants exit as former boss pens emotional statement

Former Huddersfield Giants boss Luke Robinson has penned an emotional statement following his departure as head coach, which brought his 19-year association with the club to an end. 

Robinson was sacked by the West Yorkshire club last Sunday (22nd March) following their poor start to the season, which has seen them win just one of their opening seven games in all competitions, but they were also in the midst of a major injury crisis.

At the time of writing, as many as 13 senior players are on the sidelines through injury, with the club turning to the loan market, their reserves and even their academy to field a match-day squad.

Robinson’s departure brings an end to his tenure with the Giants, which began as a player in 2008. After arriving in West Yorkshire from Salford, Robinson amassed 228 appearances for Huddersfield across his eight-year stint, playing a pivotal role in their 2013 League Leaders Shield triumph too, before stepping into the club’s coaching staff.

From there, he progressed through the ranks to become an assistant coach under Ian Watson, before replacing him as head coach part-way through the 2024 season.

Luke Robinson pens emotional statement following Huddersfield Giants exit

In an emotional post on his personal X account, Robinson said: “After the response I’ve received from the rugby league community over the past few days, it would feel uncharacteristic not thank the fans/friends who have reached out with messages of support following my departure from the Giants after 19 years.

“While I fully understand that this is a results-driven environment, the opening five games have not delivered the outcomes we all expected, however, the timing of my departure is particularly difficult, given we were on the eve of welcoming back key members of our starting line-up—players we believed would have a significant impact on performances and results moving forward.

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“I also believe it is important to recognise the broader context of the past 18 months. Much of the work I’ve done during this period has focused on rebuilding the culture of the club, the playing group in particular —establishing standards, behaviours, and small but meaningful changes that I believed would create a strong foundation for sustained success. This has not always been immediately visible in results, but it has been central to the long-term strategy.

“I leave with immense pride in the years I have dedicated to the club, and with gratitude to the players, performance staff, and supporters. I am confident that the groundwork laid will benefit the club in the future.

“I hope the Giants can make the off-field changes necessary to get a competitive team out on the field consistently, giving the loyal Giants fans something to sing about.”

His words also come with Huddersfield confirming they have had several applications for the vacant head coach position from across the globe.

“We’ve had a lot of interest from both in the UK and overseas,” Director of rugby, Andy Kelly, told members of the media earlier this week. “It took me by surprise, in the first 24 hours, how many expressions of interest were put in front of me.

“That process will continue until Saturday (28th March), so I would urge anyone who has an interest to come forward to do so; but we have a healthy number of applicants. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by a lot of them. They all have different capabilities and they’re all very ambitious coaches in their own right.

“It’s obvious we need a head coach, but we need the right person,” he continued. “We need the right calibre of person, and if we have to wait a bit longer then I’m sure we will, but the applications are open until Saturday and then we’ll sit down and review what’s been collated.

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