Ian Watson will go head-to-head with his former club Salford on Sunday urging his Huddersfield team to produce a proper 80-minute display.
The Giants aim to bounce back from their first defeat of the season, 22-12 at Wigan, as well as avenging last year’s two losses to the Red Devils, whom the Huddersfield coach famously led to a Grand Final and a Challenge Cup showpiece.
Now Watson is aiming to mark his second campaign at the Huddersfield helm by guiding them to a first play-off appearance since 2015.
Successive home games against Salford and Castleford present a great chance to add to the four points accrued by beating Toulouse in France and Hull KR at the John Smith’s Stadium.
Watson will again be without Danny Levi for the first of those games as the Kiwi hooker, signed from Brisbane Broncos in September, completes a ban imposed for “pulling at” prone Hull KR player Mikey Lewis.
But former Salford and St Helens halfback Theo Fages will be available after a suspension for dangerous contact against Rovers after missing out against Wigan, when another ex-Red Devil, Tui Lolohea, was partnered by Oliver Russell, while Adam O’Brien replaced Levi.
Wigan were 16-6 up at the break, and Watson said: “We didn’t show enough resilience in the first half.
“Our goal-line defence just wasn’t there and we put ourselves on the back foot.
“There was a moment in the second half when Tui pulled off a great tackle on Liam Farrell when he was close, and that’s the desire we need to have at the start of the game.
“We worked really hard to get back into it, we gave ourselves a shot, and we were disappointed not to come away with something.
“We know why we didn’t and it’s up to us to improve and be smarter.”
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