Huddersfield Giants v Castleford Tigers: Luke Robinson ready to spoil Accu Stadium send-off after wooden spoon relief
At the start of the year, there were only three clubs in the wooden spoon conversation.
York Knights, Toulouse Olympique and Bradford Bulls were all promoted from the Championship into an expanded 14-team Super League with limited preparation time.
For York and Toulouse, there was the added challenge of building a squad on half the central funding of the rest of the competition.
Yet established trio Huddersfield Giants, Castleford Tigers and Hull FC all found themselves in the thick of the wooden spoon battle.
Bradford's defeat to York ultimately spared their blushes and allowed them to breathe a little easier heading into their final games.
In Huddersfield's case, that pressure had been there from the early stages of a forgettable campaign.
Where they differ from Castleford and Hull is that Jim Lenihan's side have ended the season on a positive note having looked dead and buried at the bottom.
"Eight weeks ago, we looked like we weren't going to win another game, it was a foregone conclusion that we were last and didn't deserve a place in the competition," said Lenihan, whose side reeled off five wins in quick succession.
"To climb away from last place is really important for us. It was an impossible mission eight weeks ago but the boys have worked hard for the football club and been a proud representation of the community we represent.
"Not having the possibility of having the wooden spoon at the end of the game certainly gives us a little bit less to worry about – but we were never going into the game trying to avoid the wooden spoon; it's about the way we play our footy against a team that have won games against big opposition."
Saturday's visitors Castleford can point to statement victories over Wigan Warriors, St Helens and Leeds Rhinos as evidence of what might have been but ultimately it has been another lost season for a club starved of play-off rugby since 2019.
Luke Robinson, who swapped one scrap at Huddersfield for another with the Tigers, was at least able to breathe a sigh of relief after Bradford's defeat removed the threat of a final-day shootout with his old club.
"Nobody wants the wooden spoon," said Castleford's interim boss.
"As players, as a club and as coaching staff, nobody wants to be bottom of the league. You don't even want to be in the bottom third; you want to be pushing for the play-offs and actually striving to be in contention to win something.
"Without being too disrespectful to Bradford, it was obviously a nice feeling knowing that we're not going to finish with the wooden spoon.
"We've got to play without pressure and hopefully we can put a performance in."
In a twist of fate, Robinson's first return to Huddersfield since his sacking in March falls on the club's final afternoon at the Accu Stadium.
The 42-year-old dedicated the best part of two decades to the Giants, enjoying some memorable moments in HD1 – not least the 2013 League Leaders' Shield success – before his dismissal.
Despite all that history, Robinson is relishing the opportunity to play the role of party pooper.
"I want to win the game, as I do every week," he said.
"There are no hard feelings. I felt like I got a rough deal and anybody who knows about rugby league would probably agree with that.
"But it's not personal; it's about Castleford getting a win. It's quite fitting that I'm going back there for their last-ever game. It's going to be emotional for them – but I'd love it if we went there and spoiled the party."
Huddersfield have spent 32 years at the Accu Stadium but a new era awaits, initially in Dewsbury after the move was ratified by the Rugby Football League on Friday.
Lenihan, who represented the Giants as a player in 1999, is keen to make sure they sign off from the stadium on their own terms.
"There's been a long, long history of players, even people my age, who have played at the various names the stadium has been under at the time and it's massively important for us to put in a good performance," he said.
"We want to be a physical football team that goes out and makes our community proud. We have the opportunity to put a full stop on what happens at the Accu Stadium for Huddersfield.
"The win is important to us but it's not the thing driving us going into this weekend. We're certainly not saying 'We must win this week'; it's about doing certain things in the game that are really important.
"If we achieve those things, we put ourselves in a really good position to win the game."