Giants forced to lower sights from top-four

The club that came within 80 minutes of the Grand Final last season is currently rooted to the bottom of Super League having lost eight of their opening nine games.

Huddersfield were 30-22 ahead with just 11 minutes remaining against a depleted Castleford Tigers yesterday but somehow fell away once more, going down 38-34.

Asked if staying clear of the Middle Eights is already now more imperative than striving for the top-four, Anderson conceded: “I would think it’s pretty clear.

“Our focus has to be on dusting ourselves down and trying to make sure we win the next game.

“We know this group is capable of doing some good things, it’s just a case of building energy – because we’re robbing ourselves of it at the moment by making too many errors and having to do too much defence.

“It’s the same old story. I could sit here and repeat myself constantly.

“We’ve all got a part to play in it, though. It wasn’t as much penalties that were the problem, it was just errors that we gave away.

“Poor execution didn’t help, and although we scored enough points to give ourselves a chance we found a way to give it away.”

When former Kiwi prop Sam Rapira powered over for his first try in Huddersfield colours for that 30-22 lead on 62 minutes, Giants looked well-set to push on and secure only a second win of the season.

But they self-imploded once more rendering England winger Jermaine McGillvary’s hat-trick futile.

Stand-off Danny Brough produced countless wayward passes throughout the game but Anderson refused to criticise his captain.

“Danny is trying real hard and I’d never question his effort,” he said, with Huddersfield heading to in-form Hull FC on Friday.

“We gifted them a lot of errors and field position.”