Huddersfield Giants may lend players to top-flight rivals says Ian Watson

They announced last week that young back-row Sam Hewitt, 21, would join Championship club Halifax for the campaign.

With Huddersfield having significantly strengthened their squad since Watson arrived from Salford Red Devils in November, making seven signings so far, there could be scope for others to move on temporarily, too.

“We’ve had a couple of people contact us about people like Sam and where they sit at this moment of time,” said the coach.

“Sam played a decent number of first team for Huddersfield, to be fair, but at the moment he’s probably just behind the pecking order with people like Joe Greenwood, Chris McQueen, Kenny Edwards, Joe Wardle so he has some real competition in front of him.

“The big thing is we want him to keep developing so we need to keep him playing. He’s one we’ve looked to get out on loan and because we’ve had quite a bit of interest in Sam it was quite easy to get him fixed up.

“If we can get other people fixed up who will benefit from playing in the Championship – or even in Super League – then that might be one we have to have a look at.

“But we want to keep the nucleus of the squad that we have got. If we do get others out on loan, it does make it a lot easier, especially with no reserves and no academy as well.

“But we want to keep the young lads learning and improving so that when they do come into the first team they are ready to come straight in.”

The Great Britian assistant coach will take charge for the first time when Huddersfield face Halifax in a friendly on March 6 ahead of another pre-season outing against Leeds Rhinos.

Asked who has impressed him so far, Watson said: “There’s been a few of them. People like Olly Russell and Lee Gaskell have done really really well in pre-season and some of the young guys who have been training with us, like Will Pryce and Fenton Rogers, have been outstanding,

“But, as a whole group, we’re moving in the right direction for where we need to be as a team.”

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