Why Huddersfield Giants have started so well from player who helped them finish top in 2013

Ordinarily, six or eight games is a good indicator to start properly assessing how a campaign is beginning to take shape with many coaches actually preferring to wait until Easter is over and done with before making their own judgements.

However, it is perfectly understandable why Huddersfield Giants fans – still fearing relegation on the final night last term – may choose to ignore those parameters this time around.

They sit top of Super League after four rounds and, despite being so early, are already the only club still to boast a 100 per cent win record.

Granted, there is a caveat there; Simon Woolford’s side have only played three games given their derby with Leeds Rhinos was postponed due to Storm Ciara.

Nevertheless, that is countered by an unusual statistic which strengthens the supporters’ reasons for optimism – all three wins have come away from home.

It took them until July to chalk up so many victories on the road last year but there’s no sign of travel sickness this time around.

With ‘marquee’ signing Aidan Sezer having an instant impact at scrum-half and a clear new resilience among the ranks, they host second-placed Wigan Warriors on Sunday as the team people are talking about.

Still, Aaron Murphy, the versatile player now starting his ninth season at the club, is quick to play down matters.

“It is a good start but there’s a long, long way to go yet,” the 31-year-old told The Yorkshire Post.

“It is an unusual one, though, three games on the bounce away and all won. Especially when you look at them. Catalans away, our first match, is always tough and then we went to Salford, who reached the Grand Final last season and have always been tricky for us in previous years.

“Hull KR, where we went on Friday, is traditionally a hard place to go as well especially in the conditions we saw last week.”

Clearly, the arrival of Australian scrum-half Sezer from NRL Grand Finalists Canberra Raiders has been a significant positive for Huddersfield; the club has been crying out for a half-back of his talent for years and he has quickly helped turn games they would have lost in 2019 to victories in 2020.

The addition of Kenny Edwards and James Gavet – hardened NRL forwards – has been important, too, but, most crucially perhaps, Giants have simply got in tune more with Woolford’s ways.

The Australian arrived mid-season in 2018 to importantly help steer them clear of relegation trouble.

That fire-fighting was imperative and, with many of the same squad in situ last term as well as a horrendous injury list, it was inevitable they would toil again.

However, it is possibly only now that Woolford has his own group of players he can call his own.

“Last year we did have quite a lot of injuries,” conceded Murphy, who has played almost 200 games for the club since joining from Wakefield Trinity.

“You can’t always blame stuff like that but we did have plenty of players out. This time around, we started pre-season in October – we were back two days after the Grand Final – so we’ve been working a long time towards this.

“We’ve made some very good signings and those boys have come in and helped tremendously.

“Performances haven’t been perfect but there’s been massive improvements from last year.

“We’ll keep building and hopefully these results will keep on coming. Wigan are a great team and we’ll see on Sunday how far we’ve come.”

Leeds-born Murphy, of course, is one of the survivors of the Giants side that won the League Leaders’ Shield in 2013 who still remain with the club.

Remarkably, there are six: Jermaine McGillvary, Leroy Cudjoe, Joe Wardle – back after spells with Newcastle Knights and Castleford Tigers – Michael Lawrence and Ukuma Ta’ai being the others.

Some things have changed, mind.

“Back in 2013, I was left wing and Joe (Wardle) was left centre,” recalled Murphy, who scored 20 tries in 30 games for Paul Anderson’s free-flowing side.

“Against Hull KR on Friday we both started as back-rows!

“I ended up right centre when Darnell (McIntosh) went off injured and Joe was right back-row.

“I’ve been all over the place playing loose forward, second-row, centre and who knows next week.

“I’m forever bouncing around plugging holes. I enjoy it, though.”

Known for his toughness, work-rate and durability, it is probably no surprise Murphy has migrated to the pack in recent years having also been a full-back when he initially joined from Trinity.

He certainly forms a mobile back-row with Lawrence – another former centre – and Wardle in tandem and Woolford knows that triumvirate will be key helping keep Huddersfield at the right end of the table.

The 2013 success, when Danny Brough won Man of Steel, was the first time in 81 years Huddersfield had finished top and they have not done so since.

“I came in in 2012 and, back then, we were there or thereabouts,” added Murphy.

“I can’t put my finger on what happened after that or why it did but I’d love to get back to those levels – top of the league, in semi-finals, challenging. The club deserves to be up there and fingers crossed we can carry this on.

“We’ve only played three games but if we can get anywhere near that again, it’d be great.

“We’d take getting the play-off spots – we want to be in there challenging – and some people were writing us off to finish bottom.

“He (Woolford) is a good coach and a good bloke. The difference this year is we seem to be enjoying it as a whole group and staff all together. We’re working hard and that’s paying off. We need to carry that on now.”