HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS head coach Ian Watson has revealed that the Giants are in talks with Esan Marsters to extend his contract with the club.
Marsters joined Huddersfield ahead of the 2023 Super League season but struggled to find form and consistency last year yet has impressed greatly in 2024.
The Cook Islands international is second for the most metres made in the competition so far – and Watson has explained why it took Marsters a while to settle in Super League.
“I signed Esan for a reason and I knew his ability and what he could be. I knew we would have have to get through a test of increasing his confidence,” Watson told League Express.
“It’s difficult because when you are at a club like Huddersfield, you aren’t necessarily going to get the best of the best straightaway.
“What you’ve got to do is find nuggets who are very good players. Think of Esan going through the NRL. He became an international and got in the NRL Team of the Year but then had an uncomfortable period for a couple of years.
“We knew we would then have to build his confidence to where he needed to be and that confidence has built up now and he is playing well with people like Tui Lolohea.
“His game has got a lot better. It’s a tough one when you’re signing from overseas because you’ve got to see how they fit and if they are immediate or long-term players.”
So with Marsters out of contract at the end of the 2024 season, would Watson like to keep him?
“I would like to keep him, the club are speaking to him and his agent. Richard (Thewlis – Huddersfield’s managing director) sorts that out and then we focus on the coaching side of things.”
In terms of building for 2025, Watson has already signed England international Tom Burgess in a major coup, but he isn’t the only big signing that the Giants are looking to bring in.
“The good thing with us is we are always looking to be better and wanting to be better and sometimes that takes a little bit of time. Sometimes people leave early because they are starting to perform well.
“Basically, we want to hold those players there and then add a player like Tom Burgess so it increases the quality of what you’ve got.
“We want to compete at the top and on a consistent basis. We still need to add more strength and quality going forward.”
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