Huddersfield Giants need early wins to ease pressure, says Lee Gaskell

It was May last year when the gifted stand-off – Championship Player of the Year in 2015 – last featured for Bradford Bulls.

A problematic hamstring refused to yield and he did not play again, undoubtedly one of the principal reasons the former World Club champions crucially failed to make the Qualifiers.

Even following his winter switch to Huddersfield, the former St Helens star has still not had it easy, struggling to regain his fitness when he wanted to be catching the eye of his new employers.

It is, then, with some relief that he is finally fully fit and hopeful of making his competitive debut in Giants’ Super League opener at Widnes Vikings.

“Looking back, it’s been a seven-month injury,” Gaskell told The Yorkshire Post.

“I did the hamstring a couple of times and it was annoying.

“I’d had a broken jaw and done my ribs for Bradford, but never had a muscle injury that reoccurred and mentally it was tough to get over.

“Coming to a new club you just want to impress, be around the boys and do every training session, but I was still stuck in rehab here at Huddersfield.

“It was more mentally tough than anything else.

“I went through a patch where I just thought it would never all come together.

“But the physios and medical staff here have been great and really put the hard work in.

“Hopefully I can have a good run now and no more niggles.”

Gaskell, 26, admits he faces another battle, though, just to get into the Huddersfield side.

Scotland captain Danny Brough and the prolific Ryan Brierley are the incumbent half-backs and Gaskell has been handed the N0 4 squad jersey indicating he might be used as a centre.

He can also, of course, slot in at full-back and that might be an option given Jake Mamo, their signing from Newcastle Knights, only arrived in the country last week.

“I do enjoy half-back and I’ve played there all my career,” conceded Gaskell, who boasts an excellent running game.

“When you’re younger and growing up through all the ranks at half-back you always have your hands on the ball and are very influential.

“But obviously there’s two good half-backs here as well so it’s going to be tough pushing those away. To be honest, I’ll play whatever role the team needs me to.

“I’m not really fussed as long as I’m fully fit and can help out the side. That’s the most important thing at end of the day.”

Gaskell had spent the last three years at Bradford, unable to prevent them suffering relegation in his first campaign and then scoring 28 tries in 31 games over two seasons in the Championship.

However, he is undoubtedly Super League class, a fact highlighted early in his career when he played for hometown St Helens in the 2011 Grand Final, and Huddersfield will hope to help him fulfil his potential.

Five players have moved from Bulls to Huddersfield for 2017, Gaskell, Paul Clough and Dale Ferguson sorting deals before their financial disarray became clear, Adam O’Brien and Alex Mellor arriving last month after Bradford’s liquidation made them free agents.

Giants, surprisingly, finished bottom last term and Gaskell admits they are desperate to get off to a strong start this time around to make sure they are not embroiled in the Qualifiers again.

“If you can chalk three or four wins off early doors you take some pressure off yourselves and see others panicking,” he said.

“Last season was crazy. Looking at some of the players here you wonder how Huddersfield were in that bottom four.

“But sometimes teams just have one of those years where they have a dip in form or a few injuries and it hits you hard.

“I don’t think many people expected to see Leigh come up, though, either, or Hull KR go down, but Leigh did very well and deserved a place.

“We know we must be switched on from the off this time around.”

Cynics say the game at Widnes is already a battle between sides destined for the Qualifiers.

Gaskell, who may not be risked as he has not featured in any pre-season friendlies, said: “People will want to talk about that, but it’s round one…

“We just want to get the win and it doesn’t matter how.

“They’ll be tough especially on that (artificial) pitch.

“Widnes train on it every day, it suits their quick rucks and we’re expecting a fast game.

“But we’ll look to front up, complete sets and not try do anything too fancy. We want that win fast.”