Huddersfield Giants coach Luke Robinson labelled his side ‘absolutely rubbish’ – before admitting they have a new fresh injury concern to add to their mounting problems.
The Giants are now the only team in Super League to have played three games and lost them all, after being hammered 34-8 at Castleford Tigers on Friday evening.
It means the Giants are rock bottom of Super League, and after being comprehensively outplayed against their West Yorkshire rivals, Robinson insisted he had no defence for what his side served up.
He said: “We were rubbish. Absolutely rubbish. It’s a very simple game and if you hold onto the ball you put them under pressure but we dropped it over and over again and we were always on the back foot. You lose the energy battle then, you’re on the back foot and you can never regain it. We’ve got to get to grips with that very quickly. Castleford showed us how to play.”
Robinson admitted injuries to key players were hampering his side but that it was ‘no excuse’ for the level of their performance on Friday evening. He also conceded they now look set to lose another key man, with winger Sam Halsall – arguably their standout this season so far – going off with a hamstring problem.
He said: “We’re missing a fair chunk of our actual starting 13, probably the better players within our squad if I’m being brutally honest. But the players we’re putting out there are good enough to win.
“Our best player this year has been Sam Halsall by a country mile and he’s gone off with a hamstring injury as well. But it’s no excuse; we’ve got key players out but the players we’ve got out are good enough to do a job and we’ve got to learn and we’ve got to learn quick. There’s loads out, but I still feel like those who are out there can still do a job.”
And with no key men set to return any time soon, Robinson admitted he will not be able to make too many changes to the team that faces reigning world champions Hull KR next Sunday.
“The vast majority of those players out at the moment aren’t back for another five weeks,” he said. “The squad we’ve got at the moment is the squad we’ve got. I can’t make too many changes. I’ve pulled (Tanguy) Zenon in from Halifax, who I’ve thrown straight in, but the squad at the moment has got to lick its wounds but it’s got to learn fast.
“It was very difficult last year with injuries and it’s no different this year. I’ve become accustomed to it if I’m honest. Not having a full squad to pick from is the norm.”