INSULT was added to injury by Huddersfield Giants’ 18-16 home defeat to Wakefield Trinity.
Without several key players, a late fightback fell short in a loss Huddersfield coach Luke Robinson described as “heartbreaking”.
He said: “I thought we had all the momentum in that second half.
“In the last 15 minutes it looked like we were going to score again. We just weren’t clinical in certain areas.
“We started a little bit slow. They got the upper hand on us, but as the game went on we really grew in it. The lads showed their character and their effort.
“We weren’t building enough quick rucks in the first half, but we did in the second half. We didn’t build any pressure in how we finished our sets.
“We forced it at the end, and we were a bit naïve on our part. But I’m really, really proud of their effort.”
Robinson confirmed a series of injuries for the Giants with backs Adam Swift (hamstring) and Niall Evalds (calf) out for another five weeks, forwards Joe Greenwood (ankle) and Harry Rushton sidelined for nine weeks, and Liam Sutcliffe (hamstring) unavailable for at least three months.
“The last couple of weeks haven’t been great for us,” he said. “But there’s not much we can do.”