Huddersfield Giants urged to prove they are real deal in Super League opener against Warrington Wolves

The Giants host Warrington Wolves fresh from a positive off-season which has raised expectation levels inside and outside the club.

After falling short in both competitions last year, Huddersfield have armed Watson with one of the strongest squads in Super League.

The Giants boss has challenged his side to show they can walk the walk by hitting the ground running against a Warrington outfit buoyed by a big win over Leeds Rhinos.

"It's all good people saying we've got a good squad but it's up to us to go out there and prove it," said Watson, whose side sat out round one due to St Helens' participation in the World Club Challenge.

"We've done nothing yet. Last year has been and gone and this is a completely different team with the changes we've made.

"This is the starting point for us. Let's see where it takes us."

Huddersfield lost only one home game during the 2022 regular season on their way to a third-place finish.

Watson has stressed the importance of making an early statement at the John Smith's Stadium.

"You never win anything at the start of the year but you can set yourself up going forward," he added.

"We want to start real well and get a win. We want to make sure playing at home is a fortress for us."

A date with the revitalised Wolves is a tricky opening fixture for Huddersfield, with the Warrington pack particularly impressive against Leeds.

Watson is backing his forwards to fight fire with fire in the middle.

"I've got full confidence that our pack can go up against any pack and match them," he said. "We've got to be at our best to do that.

"They've brought players in like Paul Vaughan who showed what he brings to the table. I think he did 24 carries last week and worked really hard doing big minutes as well.

"You've got some of the other guys coming on in shorter stints trying to be real big and explosive.

"It's up to us to counteract that and make sure we cause them problems rather than worry too much about them."