New head coach Rick Stone is eager to get going with Huddersfield Giants

If Huddersfield Giants had been searching for Paul Anderson's replacement six months ago it would have been for a head coach who could turn their consistent high-performance into actual silverware.
New Huddersfield Giants head coach Rick Stone pictured at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington in November 2013 when in charge of Fiji against Samoa (Picture: Vaughn Ridley/SWpix.com).New Huddersfield Giants head coach Rick Stone pictured at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington in November 2013 when in charge of Fiji against Samoa (Picture: Vaughn Ridley/SWpix.com).
New Huddersfield Giants head coach Rick Stone pictured at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington in November 2013 when in charge of Fiji against Samoa (Picture: Vaughn Ridley/SWpix.com).

In appointing the former Newcastle Knights and Fiji chief Rick Stone yesterday, they will believe they have still got just the man to do that.

However, given what has happened to the Fartowners leading up to Anderson’s sacking last month – last season’s third-placed finishers were left joint-bottom having won just four of their 18 Super League games – the remit is now altogether different.

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Stone, 49, will arrive in the UK later this week, in time for Sunday’s home game with St Helens, charged with the immediate task of helping the famous club avoid an unthinkable relegation.

Friday’s defeat at Hull KR has now consigned the West Yorkshire club, that finished top as recently as 2013, to the utter uncertainty of the Qualifiers.

So, after Saints, they have just one more regular game before the Middle Eights begin and the likes of Leigh, London Broncos, maybe Halifax and Batley Bulldogs, come scenting blood.

For an Australian like Stone, relegation itself is an alien concept, so anticipating a convoluted seven-fixture mini-league involving part-time clubs from a different division must be surreal.

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Nevertheless, having signed a two-and-a-half-year deal, in a statement – presumably prepared before Friday’s result – he said: “I’m delighted to get the opportunity at Giants. I have had a short period out of the full-time game, probably my first for around 25 years, and I’m very keen to get back into the coaching arena.

“Top jobs such as this one don’t come around very often so, yes, I’m ready to go and really can’t get there quick enough. The UK will be new to me, but I follow Super League and at the end of the day we all start with 17 against 17 and the same chance as each other.

“I know the club has some very short-term goals in terms of wins needed in whatever league structure we end up in after 23 rounds.

“But I’ve always believed results tend to take care of themselves if you work hard, prepare well and commit to your teammates, which are all key parts of my coaching style. I’ll give honesty and demand it back. I’m looking forward to working with everyone as soon as possible.”

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Stone was England coach Wayne Bennett’s No 2 at Newcastle for three years before succeeding him ahead of last term.

However, his first stint as an NRL head coach did not end well and he was sacked last July, ironically to be replaced by Nathan Brown, the former Huddersfield chief from whom Anderson took over in 2012.

Stone has some experience of this region having taken charge of a Fiji side that played the hosts at Hull FC during the 2013 World Cup and, against the odds, later reached the semi-finals.

He has been helping out at Sydney Roosters of late, where ex-Huddersfield captain.

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Stone will be assisted by former Giants players Chris Thorman and Luke Robinson, who have been working with caretaker coach Andy Kelly, the club’s academy chief, since Anderson’s departure last month.

Kelly, who briefly raised hopes of making the top eight by overseeing wins against Salford Red Devils and Wakefield Trinity, is now in Australia with the England Academy squad, but the new coach will arrive at John Smith’s Stadium imminently.

Giants’ managing director Richard Thewlis said the calibre of applicants was a “morale boost” for a club who, for all they have been regular top-four finishers in recent years, currently wallow in 11th place with their top-flight status under serious threat.

“The level of interest in our position was overwhelming,” he said. “At a very difficult time at the club it is certainly a morale boost to see we are still viewed as a highly attractive proposition both in the UK and overseas.

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“We believe we’ve an outstanding head coach who fits the bill superbly for what Giants want.

“He has head coach experience at NRL and international level and his CV is outstanding in the way he has worked his way to the very top of his profession with many successes along the way.”

Thewlis continued: “He’s taken a knock or two as all coaches do, but had a little rest to recharge the batteries and we’re convinced he’s the right man to take us forward. We face a huge battle in the remaining nine games of the season and he is aware of that.

“It would be wrong to talk now about any further down the line as our focus has to be on 2016.”