Wigan trip offers Giants chance to defy critics again – Anderson

They will move three points clear of second-placed hosts Wigan Warriors if they win tomorrow night’s eagerly-anticipated televised game at DW Stadium.

With just three regular rounds then to go it would leave the West Yorkshire club in a perfect position to lift the League Leaders’ Shield for the first time.

“These are the games we’ve been working towards all season, and we don’t intend to start failing now,” said Anderson, whose side have been top since long-time front-runners Wigan lost against St Helens three weeks ago.

“We know we’re a good team, because we’ve been in the top two or three all year, and we want to show that again at Wigan.

“It’s now our time to perform on the big stage and I’m confident we’ll do just that. We all know our systems, what all our roles are and that we can carry all that through better than ever before.”

Huddersfield, aiming for a sixth successive league win, are bolstered by the return from injury of influential hooker Shaun Lunt, Papua New Guinea second-row Jason Chan and Dale Ferguson.

“All season people have been expecting us to fail, but we’ve always proved them wrong,” continued Anderson, Huddersfield showing no signs of their problems of recent years when they have struggled to build on promising starts.

“Right now they’re expecting us to fail as they expect us to freeze at Wigan. We intend to prove all those doubters wrong once again.

“The players know they’re within touching distance of winning silverware and becoming the first Huddersfield Giants side to lift a major Super League trophy.”

Wigan have Sam Tomkins, Pat Richards, Liam Farrell and Gil Dudson all back but Huddersfield won there last year and triumphed 22-10 at home in February.

Elliott Minchella, 17, could become the sixth teenager to make his Leeds Rhinos debut this term after he was named in their squad for tomorrow’s trip to Salford.