Don't mention play-offs: Huddersfield Giants benefiting from mindset change, says Ian Watson

Huddersfield came into this season with a different approach following a disappointing end to 2022.

Watson spent the early part of the year talking about peaking at the right time and finishing strongly after seeing his team fade away on their way to an exit in the first round of the play-offs.

The Giants appear to have given themselves too much to do following a damaging run of one win in nine games, prompting Watson to pull down the shutters on any top-six talk.

He is not about to change after Huddersfield backed up a fine victory over Catalans Dragons with a commanding 34-6 defeat of Wakefield Trinity.

"It's just a great win for us from a team performance and getting back to what we are," said the Giants boss.

"We're not focusing on anything other than week by week and game by game. Where we'll be at the end of the year will be on the back of what we do now and how hard we work.

"Taking it week by week and having small focuses has helped us refocus. We've always had quite small focuses but we've really narrowed it down and stripped it back.

"We've given players individual things but collectively the main things to focus on. They're feeling better for that because they know exactly what they need to be doing."

Huddersfield have the benefit of a game in hand, albeit at the home of four-time defending champions St Helens.

The Giants are set to discover a date for that fixture after next week's Challenge Cup semi-finals.

"I've been told it'll be the Challenge Cup final weekend but I don't know how we can play Saints if they're in it," said Watson.

"You'd have to play it midweek so it might get a little bit busy somewhere. It's not what you want but it is what it is if they’re successful.

"We did it at the start of the season for the World Club Challenge which was the right thing for the sport more than anything.”