HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS coach Nathan Graham knows that consistency will be the key to his side stepping up again next season and getting closer to breaking the current monopoly of the top four.
The Giants found themselves in the Shield competition after the mid-season break, but were only two points behind fourth-placed York Valkyrie at the time of the split.
They lost just once in the second half of the season – 18-16 at Featherstone in the final round on Saturday – but the challenge now is to start putting pressure on those teams above them rather than below.
“We want to be at that higher level of the game and I don’t think we’re too far off the top four,” said Graham.
“Some of our performances have shown that. We played St Helens away and it was 22-20 before they got a late try [to win 28-20], and when we played Wigan, we competed toe-to-toe for 55 minutes before they got over the top of us.
“But it was frustrating because then we’d play Barrow or Featherstone and not be quite as intense as we should have been. No matter who we’re playing, we’ve got to be playing at that top level every week, play to the best of our ability and top intensity every week, and challenge ourselves.
“So now it’s about putting in those strong performances consistently week in week out, but that’s something we’re not quite there with yet.
“But with the addition of a couple of the under 19s for next year, and getting a few new players in, I really do think we’ll be we should be challenging for the top four.”