HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS managing director Richard Thewlis has hailed the impact of Jim Lenihan as head coach.
The 56-year-old took charge of the Giants in May and was at the helm for 16 Super League games last season.
Though Huddersfield lost their first eight games under Lenihan, they would win six of their last eight fixtures to finish 12th on the top-flight ladder, despite occupying bottom for most of the year.
Former Gold Coast Titans assistant Lenihan had enjoyed successful head coaching spells at Burleigh Bears and Brisbane Tigers, but the Giants has been his first top-flight gig.
And Thewlis believes the Australian is reaping the rewards of a long apprenticeship.
“To be frank, he’s been as I expected,” Thewlis told League Express.
“He’s an outstanding man with the club in his heart and has had a long apprenticeship in some great environments, which seems to have been overlooked. He has won competitions, which many have not.
“The phrase Wayne Bennett has been referenced as saying is something along the lines of the longer you are an assistant the longer it’ll take to be a head coach and Jim’s a very experienced Rugby League man at a whole host of levels.
“He arrived at a time when we were at a low ebb with many things going against us and he went back to basics which, we’ve seen at this club, has worked before in difficult times.
“Jim explained to everyone who cared to listen that we may well go back further before we went forward and going forward didn’t necessarily mean winning in his first few weeks. His theory came good in terms of results, which is what everyone looks at, but there is so much more to the rugby department than simply results.
“The results are at the end of a huge change in many areas, which Jim instilled into everyone who wanted to join him on the journey and I’m delighted for him.
“We must pay tribute also to the supporters who stayed loyal and reaped the rewards of wins – which is what matters to them – and we ended the season on a real high with genuine momentum and excitement for next year.”
