Hodgson keeps his cool to earn Giants deserved draw

Huddersfield Giants' Brett Hodgson – who won Super League's finest individual award last season – showed all his steely nerve and remarkably cool composure to slot a dramatic touchline penalty after the final hooter last night, earning his side a remarkable draw.

Gutted Hull KR players, thinking they had beaten Huddersfield for the first time since 2007 and ended a four-match losing run on the road, sank to their knees after the Giants captain ruined their evening in one of the most pulsating finishes in Super League history.

Michael Dobson had put Rovers 16-14 ahead with a dubious 73rd-minute penalty before Nathan Brown's resilient side mounted a remarkable last-ditch attack.

Kevin Brown saw a try disallowed in the final minute when the England stand-off spilled over the line following a breathtaking break from Jamahl Lolesi.

Giants players thought Ben Galea had tackled Brown before he had taken delivery of Lolesi's in-field kick and should have been awarded a penalty try.

However, video referee Richard Silverwood deemed a knock-on and awarded the relieved visitors a scrum with the game seemingly over.

But, the Huddersfield pack shoved their rivals off the ball to win possession back and Danny Brough launched a cross-field kick to David Hodgson with just seconds left.

Super League's top try-scorer collected and attempted to get it down over the line but fumbled under pressure from Peter Fox.

Rovers again believed they had escaped but Silverwood rightly ruled David Hodgson had been tackled in mid-air and gave his namesake one final chance.

The Australian full-back, who joins Warrington next season, duly took it as Huddersfield, with Lee Gilmour making his 400th career appearance and Simon Finnigan making a first in 10 months after neck surgery, celebrated.

Rovers – who gave a debut to 20-year-old winger Sam Latus – had built up a 12-0 lead inside the opening 23 minutes with Scott Murrell gathering a fortuitous grubber and Clint Newton scoring his sixth try in as many games, Dobson converting both.

But Huddersfield, who had fallen 18-0 behind against Hull FC on Sunday and came back to win 32-18, responded with hooker Brad Drew and the bullish prop Larne Patrick both adding zest from the bench, just as they did at the weekend.

Michael Lawrence grabbed a 28th-minute score, the sprightly 20-year-old's first try of the season.

Brown was the instigator after he brushed off some weak tackles in the Rovers midfield and then spotted the centre lurking, picking Lawrence out with a well-weighted kick to the line.

Brett Hodgson converted to rack up his 150th goal for the club and his side grew.

Rovers' centre Kris Welham thought he had a clear 60-metre run to the line after David Faiumu spilled but the alert Bentham spotted Scott Murrell had palmed the ball down in the act of tackling.

Brough twice tried breaking Rovers down with inventive kicks, chipping ahead 25 metres out direct from the resulting scrum and seeing a desperate Ben Cockayne just scramble back to deny Lawrence, before, soon after, a cruel bounce was the only thing eluding Brown after Brough's audacious reverse kick.

Huddersfield wasted further opportunities. Brown fashioned an overlap down the right following Faiumu's smuggled off-load but the England stand-off then offered a meagre pass which bounced behind Jamahl Lolesi and Leroy Cudjoe into touch.

Dobson failed with a drop goal attempt seconds before the half-time hooter perhaps realising how important a point may end up.

Huddersfield's Cudjoe, the young winger who has been in revelatory form this season, endured a miserable first half twice fumbling under no pressure - the first leading to Murrell's score - having already shunted a forward pass to waste their first opportunity.

His second period did not improve when, put clear by Brown's invention, he ignored the unmarked Lolesi and was easily thwarted by Ben Cockayne, the Rovers full-back who was just as surprised as the entire 6,304 crowd.

Stephen Wild nearly escaped after more wonderful footwork from the mesmeric Faiumu but it did not take long for Huddersfield to level.

After Rovers' Josh Hodgson erred at the play-the-ball, the hosts seized the gift position, Drew darting away from dummy half before finding Brown who cut back on the angle and showed splendid balance to swiftly slalom his way to the line for a quality try.

Brett Hodgson improved the 48th-minute effort and, when Galea foolishly felled Brown late after a pass, the full-back struck a penalty to put Giants ahead for the first time.

Mick Vella, the veteran Australian prop who led Rovers' pack magnificently alongside Newton, almost got through from close range as the visitors upped the tempo but Brough denied him again before Brett Hodgson coolly headed a Dobson kick dead to avert more pressure.

Eventually, after Faiumu marked his copybook with a poor off-load, Graeme Horne was penalised for interference on Joel Clinton and Dobson levelled with 11 minutes remaining.

The hosts - who staged a brilliant defensive effort as their line remained in tact - were eventually pulled for offside and Dobson put Rovers back ahead but then came Hodgson's magic.

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Huddersfield Giants: B. Hodgson, Cudjoe, Lolesi, Lawrence, D. Hodgson, Brown, Brough, D. Griffin, Robinson, Mason, Gilmour, Finnigan, Wild. Substitutes: Drew, Patrick, Horne, Faiumu.

Hull K R: Cockayne, Fox, Welham, Ratu, Latus, Murrell, Dobson, Vella, Fisher, Clinton, Newton, Galea, Watts. Substitutes: Wheeldon, Taylor, Hodgson, Lovegrove.

Referee: Phil Bentham (Warrington).