Huddersfield Giants 58 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 6: Troubled Wakefield suffer as Brough puts the boot in

Former Trinity star Danny Brough led the way with a 22-point haul as Wakefield's defensive frailties mean they have now conceded 200 points in their last five Super League games to leave their play-off hopes quickly fading.

Last season Huddersfield finished third, but then collapsed in the play-offs suffering a hangover from their Challenge Cup final defeat, but this season they seem better prepared and with players like Brett Hodgson set to come back into the team, the Giants could be set to peak at the right time of the campaign.

Surprisingly, there was little to separate the two sides in the opening exchanges, both teams testing each other out with well-placed kicking. Trinity youngster Matty Wildie showing amazing composure on debut, after impressing in the reserves.

But the Giants finally broke the deadlock after seven minutes. Michael Lawrence bulldozed down the left wing, attracting the Wakefield defence, before slipping the ball out wide for David Hodgson to cruise home.

Brough – greeted by a chorus of a boos from the fans who used to idolise him in a Wakefield shirt – kicked the conversion.

It heralded a stint of attacking play by the Giants, culminating in a second try for the hosts. Kevin Brown dabbed the ball through on the fifth tackle and Lee Gilmour pounced. Brough converted and already thoughts of a repeat of Wakefield's 52-0 Belle Vue humiliation back in March came to mind.

The visitors needed to make an immediate response but Jason Demetriou spilled the ball on a rare foray forward and it was another handling error by the Wildcats which gifted the hosts their third try.

Darrell Griffin looked like he had been held in the tackle, but showed superb strength to snake his arm over the line to ground the ball.

Shaun Lunt joined in the Giants try fest, sprinting clear of a fading Wakefield defence to crash over.

Brough converted both tries to make it 24-0 in a point-a-minute opening by Huddersfield and prompted home fans to cheer 'You might as well go home' to the visiting supporters huddled at one end of the Galpharm.

A couple of penalties allowed Wakefield some respite as they put some pressure on the home defence, Wildie looking as dangerous as anyone.

But they could not penetrate a Huddersfield defence – only bettered by leaders Wigan in Super League – as they lacked any cutting edge.

And they were given a harsh lesson in finishing as the Giants raced in two more tries before the break.

Jermaine McGillvary was next on the scoreboard, diving over in the corner, before some stylish handling allowed Leroy Cudjoe to saunter over.

Brough continued his 100 per cent record with the boot with his fifth and sixth conversions as Wakefield left the field to a chorus of boos from their fans.

Injury-hit Trinity – missing the influential Paul Cooke and Sam Obst – have been shipping points at an alarming rate recently.

In the last few weeks, they have been walloped by St Helens

(50-6), Castleford (40-16) and Hull KR (46-14) and another painful afternoon looked on the cards.

Chairman Ken Davy addressed home fans on the pitch at half-time to announce season ticket prices have been pegged for next season, although the good news was coupled with the fact the Giants would have to play some games at Halifax's Shay stadium next year as the Galpharm pitch was relaid.

Huddersfield should have picked up their seventh try of the afternoon early in the second half, after picking up possession from Ben Jeffries's dabbed kick near their own line.

But after the ball was moved quickly upfield, McGillvary and Cudjoe somehow lost the ball with the line gaping in front of them. It all seemed too easy for Nathan Brown's side, and Wakefield finally avoided being nilled with a 49th-minute try.

Paul Johnson was allowed time to pick out Sean Gleeson on the right wing and he touched down, with Jeffries adding the conversion.

Cudjoe made amends for his earlier gaffe by sidestepping his marker to add Huddersfield's seventh try, the only surprise being it had taken them 18 second-half minutes to break down the Wildcats' defence.

Brough missed the conversion in front of the Wakefield fans but the relief was only temporary as he added the extras to Scott Grix's try.

The football season doesn't kick-off until next weekend, but McGillvary showed some nifty footwork. Chasing a rolling ball down the wing, he realised he wasn't going to get his hands to it, so kicked the ball cross field for the onrushing Grix in a fine piece of wing wizardry.

Brough capped a fine afternoon's work against his former employers with a converted try to chalk up the half century for Huddersfield.

Home fans were even treated to Eorl Crabtree kicking on the fifth tackle after the ball somehow reached the towering prop. For a player famed for his rampaging runs, there was to be no fairytale ending as the ball was snapped up by the Wakefield defence, but there was still time for Graeme Horne's 75th-minute try, converted by Brough.

Huddersfield Giants: Grix, McGillvary, Cudjoe, Lawrence, Hodgson, Brown, Drew, Crabtree, Brough, Griffin, Gilmour, Lunt, Wild. Substitutes: Faiumu, Patrick, Finnigan, Horne.

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats: Blaymire, Gleeson, Demetriou, Millard, Blanch, Wildie, Jeffries, Leaeno, Rinaldi, Korkidas, Johnson, Kirmond, Morrison. Substitutes: Henderson, Leo-Latu, Moore, Gledhill.

Referee: R Silverwood.