HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS coach Ian Watson won’t get the chance to work with prop Chris Hill or halfback Tui Lolohea until the New Year as the pair rest and recuperate after the World Cup.
Hill, signed from Warrington a year ago, featured in all five of semi-finalists England’s games at the age of 35 in what was his third tournament, while Lolohea, 27 and recruited from Watson’s old club Salford ahead of last season, played in each of Tonga’s four ties.
Lolohea, as a Wests Tigers player, helped Tonga make the semi-finals in 2017, when they were beaten 20-18 in Auckland by an England team including Hill and Giants winger Jermaine McGillvary, who is currently recovering from a knee injury.
“Tui and Chris will come back in January as they just need a bit more time,” said Watson, who has reinforced his squad as he attempts to build on making the Challenge Cup final and play-offs this year.
McGillvary, 34, is close to a return to full training after missing the final two months of the 2022 season after rupturing both a medial collateral and posterior cruciate ligament.
Fullback Jake Connor, back at Huddersfield after a six-season stay at Hull, is also working his way back from a knee problem, with the Giants’ scheduled Super League opener at home to Warrington on Friday, February 24 in his sights.
But Watson won’t take any risks, explaining: “It’s not just about right now, it’s a longer-term vision. He’ll play a huge part in 2024 as well and beyond that too.”
Huddersfield have a confirmed pre-season game at Castleford on Sunday, February 5 (it’s Tigers forward Nathan Massey’s testimonial) and are also planning to take on Bradford and Dewsbury, with details of those two games still to be announced.
