Win vital for Giants more than old club Tigers, says Ferres

If they defeat frontrunners 
St Helens, Huddersfield will open the way for Castleford to lift the League Leaders’ Shield tomorrow evening knowing they will secure top spot for the first time in their 88-year history if they win in Perpignan. For England international Ferres, who joined the Giants from hometown club Castleford in June 2012, that would be particularly pleasing.

“It’s been a real good season for them,” he told The Yorkshire Post.

“They’ve recruited quite well but I think the main signing was Daryl Powell as head coach. He’s been fantastic.

“He’s certainly turned them around and got them all playing.

“It’s been good to see them get some success as a Cas’ lad as well as around the town there’s a real buzz. I’m chuffed for them. But this week is all about us getting the two points.

“I think we need a win. We’ve had some decent victories and been going alright, but things need to happen a little bit better for us. Once we get that performance we can kick on from that.

“We keep jagging those wins and hopefully we’ll get another one on Friday to put us in good stead for the play-offs.”

Huddersfield are one of the competition’s form teams on an unbeaten six-game run but Ferres is right – there is so much more still to come from them.

They must earn a draw at least to secure a top-four berth and two cracks at the play-offs.

Bradford coach James Lowes has put the finishing touches to his backroom staff and announced five more signings ahead of their 2015 Championship campaign.

St Helens prop Paul Clough, who has spent most of the 2014 Super League season on loan at Widnes, heads the latest list of new faces, which takes the Bulls’ total number of signings to 14 and Lowes’s squad up to 29.

Bradford have also signed centre or second rower Jean Philippe-Baile from Catalan, prop Samir Tahraoui from Whitehaven and utility forward Lucas Walshaw from Wakefield while second rower Jay Pitts has agreed a two-year deal to make his move from Hull permanent following a loan spell.

Walshaw and Tahraoui have also agreed two-year contracts, while Baile has signed a one-year deal with an option of a second season.

Meanwhile, club captain Matt Diskin, who is to retire at the end of the season, has been appointed as the club’s Under-19s coach and former Featherstone head coach John Bastian joins the Bulls as head of youth.

The club have also recruited England’s strength and conditioning coach Gary Dempsey.