Leigh Leopards v Huddersfield Giants: Ian Watson buoyed by recruitment progress and long-term prospects

The Giants have been working hard behind the scenes to improve Watson's squad at the end of a disappointing 2023 campaign that is in danger of fizzling out.

Jack Murchie was confirmed as the club's first official signing earlier this week, while Adam Swift, Andre Savelio and Adam Clune are among the players heavily linked with a switch to the John Smith's Stadium.

Watson, who has yet to disclose whether Chris McQueen or Jermaine McGillvary will still be at the club next year, is targeting players that will invigorate Huddersfield.

"The ones we've gone after we've got," he said. "That's really pleasing and hopefully that continues.

"It's about building the team the right way. You look at some of the players we're linked with and they're at the right age to be able to build with them.

"We're trying to get the balance right to make sure the age is brought down a little bit. That doesn't mean to say that we're not looking at people who can give us the right level of experience in terms of age.

"We need to get the right players in and get them in at the right age as well to be able to continue to build and be better every single year. You generally get better every year by having consistency and continuity."

Huddersfield undertook an eye-catching recruitment drive this time last year, with Jake Connor and Kevin Naiqama among the headline arrivals.

Theo Fages and Will Pryce will both move on at the end of this season but Watson is confident the Giants have the ingredients to come again in 2024 after failing to build on last year's promise.

"I think we have," said Watson, who led Huddersfield to the Challenge Cup final and a third-place finish in Super League in 2022.

"You look at us over the last seven or eight weeks going back to the Wigan game and we're starting to show more of us again.

"We did at the start of the season and were in some real tight contests with St Helens and Wigan, and lost narrowly in a game we should have won at Leeds.

"We fell off it from there which happened around injuries and other things happening behind the scenes.

"I do feel we've got a nucleus of a really good group and need to add the right people to it to make sure everyone's mentality is to compete to win things."

For all the talk about 2024, Huddersfield still have an outside chance of making the play-offs this year thanks to last week's tense win over Leeds Rhinos.

The Giants are four points adrift of the top six ahead of tomorrow's trip to Leigh Leopards, the first of four remaining games to save their season.

Watson has no intention of changing an approach that has yielded five wins in seven matches.

"The good thing about this group over the last seven or eight weeks is that we've focused on the game coming up being the be-all and end-all, and then we'll move forward once we finish this game," said Watson, who has lost Olly Russell to a season-ending hand fracture.

"We've had a mentality that every game is a must-win game for us for a while now. It's about what we do at Leigh now."