Thorman would relish chance to be permanent Huddersfield Giants coach

He is in charge for today’s game against Leeds Rhinos after Australian Rick Stone was sacked on Tuesday with just two wins from the club’s opening seven fixtures.

Former England half-back Thorman, 37, has been an assistant at Huddersfield since 2012 but it is often forgotten he was a head coach before - at York City Knights at the tender age of just 31.

“Don’t remind me - that was hard work!” he recalled yesterday, at his first press call since stepping up.

“When you’re dealing with scaffolders and bricklayers and you have conditioning sessions that night and they just can’t be bothered with it..!

“That gives you a bit of perspective to where I am at now but, yes, it did serve me well.

“People do forget it. I was player/assistant coach, then player/head coach in the Championship which is a fair task in itself with a part-time team.

“Then obviously I’ve come to this club and been assistant coach, academy coach, interim head coach... I’ve done a fair bit.

“I was fortunate to play under some really good head coaches – Brian Smith, Tony Smith, even people like John Kear and Tony Rea plus Jon Sharp, all very very different but still an education.

“I’ve served a fair apprenticeship and you don’t aspire to be an assistant coach, do you?

“But right now I’m not focused on anything but preparing the team a week at a time.

“I know this group pretty much better than anyone else and I think I know what we have to do but it will be nice to get some bodies back fit as quickly as possible.”

Thorman managed to find some time to prep’ for Leeds - despite his son Noli James being born on Tuesday just hours after being told he was in charge.

“It was the longest day in history,” he joked.

“I was a bit tired but the boys weren’t in the day after so I had a little bit of time to do some stuff that I hang my hat on – some video analysis of Leeds.

“We haven’t really focused on them too much, though, more this group and what it’s capable of.

“It’s never as bad as you think. We’re two points out of the top eight. It’s a simple fact.”