Huddersfield Giants boss Ian Watson repeats defiant message as he prepares to blood debutant at Wigan Warriors

Huddersfield are facing up to another season without silverware after suffering a seventh defeat in eight games at Headingley.

The manner of the 54-0 loss has piled pressure on Watson just a year on from leading the Giants to the Challenge Cup final and a third-place finish in Super League.

Watson has reiterated his belief that he can turn the situation around ahead of a daunting trip to Wigan Warriors, claiming he is a better coach now than when he led Salford Red Devils to two finals.

"I know what I’m doing and the job I want to do," said the Huddersfield boss. "I’m facing a bad time but I’ve got belief to work through it.

"My coaching has probably got a hell of a lot better over the last few years. My mentality and the way we play the game hasn’t changed. I’ll learn more from this period than I did taking them into the Challenge Cup final last year.

"We were pretty emotional after the game at Leeds because it was our worst performance.

"The players were wounded. No-one goes out to lose or not play well. It was a shock to them and they felt embarrassed.

"But there’s been good energy this week. All the talking’s done now. It’s what we do on the field."

Watson will be forced into a reshuffle this week to continue a theme of the season.

Theo Fages, who has been restricted to 25 appearances since joining from St Helens at the start of last year, picked up a quad problem during the warm-up at Leeds before struggling through the game, while Joe Greenwood and Jack Ashworth miss out due to illness and injury.

"We've had a little bit of a scan on it and it's not as bad as feared," said Watson on Fages' injury.

"We're week by week with him because it could react well or it might not.

"We've had the same kind of things all year. It's been a crazy year.

"The team probably hasn't been the same once all year and it's not through wanting to change things and reacting; a lot of it has been injury and illness.

"There are some things I can't say which are personal. The only people who have the right to tell those stories are the people themselves."

In the absence of Greenwood and Ashworth, Watson has confirmed that young prop Fenton Rogers will make his debut after impressing during a loan spell with Bradford Bulls.

"That's one of the big positives I want to focus on rather than doom and gloom and talking about people being injured," said Watson.

"It's exciting. He's been telling me he's ready for two years so he was over the moon when he received his jersey from his mum and dad."