HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS have been given a major recruitment boost as head coach Ian Watson has revealed that the Super League club has yet to be rejected for a player they have gone after.
The Giants have already signed up Parramatta Eels forward Jack Murchie for 2024 and beyond with deals expected for Hull FC pair Adam Swift and Andre Savelio as well as Newcastle Knights halfback Adam Clune.
For Watson, recruitment has been a success.
“We are trying to get the balance right to make sure the age is a factor and that is being brought down a little bit,” Watson said.
“The ones we’ve gone after we have got which is really pleasing and hopefully that continues. It’s about building the team the right way.
“We are linked with players at the right age to build with them.”
In terms of what Murchie can bring to the Giants, Watson waxed lyrical about both the forward’s on-field as well as off-field conduct.
“Jack is a player I have watched for a few years, he is of the right age at 25 and will be 26 next year. The competition is getting fast. It is getting quicker every year and we need to be mindful of having the right balance between youth and experience,” Watson said.
“Jack is at the perfect age for us, he is an outstanding strike player as well. He played second-row at the New Zealand Warriors, scoring tries and making breaks whilst defensively he has a great work ethic.
“This year, for Parramatta, he has played in the middle as well. So he can play in the middle and can bulk up the forward pack but he is a strike threat on the edge too.
“He is a team first player and does what he needs to do for the team to enable them to function well and win. He is a great signing for us and great for Super League.”
The Huddersfield boss admitted that he is a “nerd” when it comes to looking up new recruits.
“I’m a nerd in that way, I like to research them and generally I look into them as a player to see what they contribute to the team.
“Then I dig into what they are like in and around the group and on and off the field. If you hold things together off the field you will get the on field right too.
“If you talk about just rugby you look into a hell of a lot of things as well. Jack ticks over 90% of those boxes easily.”
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