Huddersfield dispose of Super League champions

Huddersfield Giants 24
Tries: Ferres, McGilvary 3, Grix
Goals: Brough 2

Wigan Warriors 8
Tries: Thornley, Burgess

Att: 16,240

Huddersfield Giants got the 2014 season off to the best possible start as they disposed of Super League Champions Wigan Warriors at the DW Stadium.

The new First Utility Super League Season got underway as the two teams in the British game that won silverware last year took on each other.

Wigan, who fly out to Auckland en-route for Sydney tomorrow, for their World Club Challenge game against Sydney Roosters, gave debuts to North Queensland Cowboys legend Matty Bowen and London Broncos due Dan Sarginson and Tony Clubb,. Ex West Tiger Eddie Pettybourne also getting his first start at the eleventh hour as skipper Shaun O’Loughlin pulled out in the Warm up with a hamstring injury.

The Giants who finished top of the league after the regular season, last year’s also had two Broncos players on their debut Antonio Kaufusi and Chris Bailey.

And it was the visitors from West Yorkshire who took the lead after 5 minutes when England International Brett Ferres got on the end of a smart kick from Aaron Murphy.

Jermaine McGillvary was next to strike as he doubled the Giants advantage, by taking Shaun Lunt’s grubber kick, to score in the right hand corner. Huddersfield withstood a spell of Wigan pressure before pulling further ahead.

A good long pass by Leroy Cudjoe's sent McGillvary over for his second touchdown of the night. Danny Brough was having an off day with his goal kicking as the visitors went into the break with a 12-0 lead.

Brough then missed a clear chance at the start of the second half as he put down a pass from Joe Wardle with no one in front of him.

Wigan took their lifeline and got on the scoreboard with Left winger Iain Thornley fished off a good passing move on 45 minutes. Five minutes later a fumble by McGillvary gave the hosts the position for Bowen to create the space for teenage winger Joe Burgess to score out wide but this was as close as the Champions got.

Huddersfield weathered the storm and effectively won the game with McGillvary squeezing over out wide to complete his hat-trick.

Brough made no mistake with the touchline conversion and Scott Grix claimed the points by finishing off a break by Brough, who added the extras to complete an emphatic win for the visitors.

So with two weeks to go until Wigan’s big game against the Roosters, Coach Shaun Wane will have plenty to work on as his team will look to compete with the NRL Premiers.