Deja vu as Huddersfield Giants again fail to stay calm and composed

FRUSTRATED Huddersfield Giants interim coach Luke Robinson believes his side are struggling from a “mental block” as their inability to win close games continues to hamper them.

They were 14-6 up against a Wakefield Trinity side that had lost 10 successive games but still conspired to lose 18-14 on Thursday after Tom Johnstone’s late double.

Although the Fartowners won their first three games under Robinson when he took over from Simon Woolford, they have lost the next three all in narrow fashion, having thrown away potentially winning positions.

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A 24-16 defeat against Salford Red Devils was followed by an 18-16 loss to Hull FC while three of Woolford’s last five fixtures were all lost by just a solitary point.

“There’s been that many narrow losses, it’s a little bit like a mental block for us more than anything else,” said Robinson.

“Whenever we go into a pressure situation, I can see the doubt in their faces. When the heat is on we’ve got to find a way of staying composed and calm.

“We just don’t know how to build any pressure both defensively and with the ball.

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“We put ourselves under too much pressure with too many dropped balls and giving penalties away; they showed a little bit more desperation than us.”

Not enough: Huddersfield's Sam Wood scores his side's third try but the Giants still lost. Picture: PANot enough: Huddersfield's Sam Wood scores his side's third try but the Giants still lost. Picture: PA
Not enough: Huddersfield's Sam Wood scores his side's third try but the Giants still lost. Picture: PA

Huddersfield lost Kenny Edwards to a first half injury and Robinson admitted he never truly had belief his side would finish the job even after going eight points in front.

“We scored the same amount of tries and missed a few goals,” he said, Lee Gaskell kicking just one of three conversion attempts.

“That’s going to happen and I’m not blaming anyone. When we got 14-6 up we had the ascendancy but I’m never truly confident with the way this season’s gone and given so many narrow defeats.

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“As things started to unravel, I could see it happening again.”

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