Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Mellor predicts a golden year for the Giants

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IT’S early days, but Alex Mellor already believes the Huddersfie­ld Giants will be a tough side to beat next season.

And, despite the players only being back in pre-season training for a week, the 24-year-old feels the Claret and Gold will be right in the mix for a top-four finish.

Head coach Simon Woolford has already brought in exciting NRL starts Matty Frawley and Akuila Uate. And with a crop of academy youngsters having already shown what they can do last season, Mellor is confident the Giants can improve on last season’s sixth-place finish, especially considerin­g they made such a woeful start to the campaign.

“We’re looking for more consistenc­y this year because we’ve been so up and down over the last two seasons,” said Mellor.

“Both times we’ve started poorly and just scraped into the Super 8s after dragging it back in the second half of the season.

“Already this year I can tell that we’re going to be a well-discipline­d and a more regimented team.

“We’ll be a tough side to face, and I honestly think we’re going to compete for the top four next season with the squad we’re putting together.”

Mellor, who made 20 appearance­s in all competitio­ns for the Giants in 2018, insisted he’s not going to get carried away, despite last year’s good form.

And the centre, who signed a three-year deal with the club in 2017, knows he has a fight on to secure a regular place in the side.

“I had a decent season, but I don’t like to get too far ahead of myself or take things for granted,” he told giantsrl.com.

“I don’t feel like I’ve earned my spot yet, so I’ve got to keep pushing on to try and cement it.

“I know there’s going to be plenty of competitio­n for places this year, so I need to keep working hard and improve on 2018.”

The players returned to preseason training last Monday, and Mellor admits they have been handed a testing schedule right from the start.

“It’s been very tough and a bit of a shock to the system,” Mellor said.

“There hasn’t been much time to ease in to it. It’s been 100mph, which obviously takes its toll on your body after the first few days, but you eventually get used to it. “I’m really looking forward to the new season, but I think it’s hard to look at it when you’re four months away and have a tough block of training to come first.” With an opening day home fixture to come against Salford Red Devils on February 1, Mellor has encouraged fans to take advantage of the Giants’ Season Card offers and support Woolford’s side in their numbers. “They sometimes fall short of people’s expectatio­ns, but we know Salford are still a very good team, so that will be a great contest to kick-start our season,” he said. “Every single fan, whether they come to home or away games, makes a massive difference to our performanc­es. “Playing in front of 5,000-plus supporters with a good atmosphere really spurs the lads on and we lift our game, because there’s nothing better than playing with the backing of your fans.”

Already this year I can tell that we’re going to be a well-discipline­d and a more regimented team

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