Brown has faith in Giants youngsters
February 06, 2012 11:30:06 UK
Huddersfield Giants coach Nathan Brown says he would prefer to speak about the players he has available for selection, rather than worry about the fitness of his sidelined stars.
Brown fielded a side containing a mixture of youth and experience for the Giants' opening-round trip to face Wigan Warriors and he will again rely on youth for this weekend's clash with Widnes, as several of the injured players, including Kevin Brown and Luke O'Donnell, are still a few weeks away from a return.
"I keep getting asked about when the injured guys are coming back, and obviously I'm very keen to have a full-strength squad to pick from, but I'd much prefer to speak about the guys we do have available. They're the ones who can make a difference," said Brown, who will step down as Giants head coach at the end of the season.
"It's an opportunity for them to show what they can do. Guys like Adam Walker haven't just been drafted in to make up the numbers, he would have been in my side regardless of who we had available. I really rate my young players highly."
I keep getting asked about when the injured guys are coming back, and obviously I'm very keen to have a full-strength squad to pick from.
Nathan Brown
And Brown was correct to put his faith in the club's young stars. The side on duty on Sunday triumphed 20-16 over last year's Challenge Cup winners to get their season off to a perfect start.
"I'm very proud of the way we performed against Wigan and I'm excited about the season ahead. It's tough to come here and get a result but the boys stuck to what we talked about and we reaped the rewards from that," Brown added.
The Giants are 8.00 to win the Challenge Cup this season and 17.00 to claim the Grand Final. They are also 15.00 to top the regular season standings.
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