Forward Huby back to bolster rock-bottom Giants

Craig Huby is looking to put more than three months of injury torment behind him and drag Huddersfield Giants clear from the bottom of Super League.
Craig HubyCraig Huby
Craig Huby

The former Castleford Tigers prop will lead from the front against Salford Red Devils this afternoon having returned from a broken hand in Good Friday’s defeat at Wakefield.

That loss saw Huddersfield - who finished third last season but have won just once this year - swap places with Trinity in 12th so the need for form is urgent.

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“We’re bottom of the league - it doesn’t get any worse,” admitted Huby.

“But we’re still very confident in our ability. We just need to keep hold of the ball better and use it a bit more wisely.

“We have ability and decent players all across the park and not much has changed from last year.

“We just have to try and make our own luck, get some points on the board and defend smarter than we have been.”

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Salford lost on Good Friday themselves at home to Catalans Dragons and are aiming to avoid a third successive defeat having also fallen at Hull KR.

They have Wales prop Craig Kopczak making his first return to Huddersfield since leaving at the end of last season and Huby admitted: “That should be a good tussle.

“Salford are similar to us having lost the last couple of games and it should be an interesting match.

“Both sides have some big forwards and good outside backs so there’ll be competition everywhere.

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“We’ve got Eorl (Crabtree) back which is a big boost for us and everyone else seems to come through Friday okay.”

On his first game of 2016, Huby said: “It was good to get out there.

“It’s been a long 14 weeks in rehab just training and thinking there’s no light at the end of the tunnel.

“It was a good time to be back as the squad has been short and it’ll be good to go again quickly on Monday.”

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Former England prop Crabtree comes back for Kruise Leeming in Huddersfield’s only alteration to their 19-man squad but Salford have lost captain Tommy Lee and former Giants winger Greg Johnson to injuries suffered in that Catalans defeat.