Woolford’s exit would leave Giant hole to fill
SIMON Woolford’s admission that he is unlikely to be at Huddersfield Giants in 2021 has dealt the Claret and Gold a big blow.
The side, although they have lost their last four on the spin, sit just outside a Super League play-off place and know a strong end to the season could see them with a chance of making it to the Grand Final – something barely imaginable 12 months ago.
Giants have clearly taken great leaps forward in that time and, under the guidance of Woolford, they are a club going from strength to strength, both on and off the field.
The great legacy that will be left by the Aussie is his use of the academy and the vast number of youngsters that have excelled under his tenure.
Matty English, Darnell McIntosh, Louis Senior and Jake Wardle have all become first-team regulars at Giants and have become pivotal cogs in the Claret and Gold machine.
Thrown in at the deep end because of injuries in 2019, these players greatly benefitted from a run in the side and repaid the faith shown in them by Woolford.
Although most fans would like to forget last season, it was a hugely significant season for Huddersfield.
Despite being ravaged by injuries, the team managed to survive relegadeserves tion on the last day of the season and thus avoid the financial repercussions of a year in the Championship.
It also gave Woolford a whole campaign to analyse his squad and mould it into his own, something made obvious by the signings made in the off-season.
Players with great experience such as James Gavet, Kenny Edwards, Ashton Golding and, of course, Aidan Sezer, came in to bolster the squad. The current blend of experience and youth that Giants now possess has been cultivated by the coaching staff and Woolford huge credit for getting the squad to the stage it is at now, especially considering the side he inherited in 2018.
On the whole, despite a lack of silverware on the field, it is clear Woolford has great support from the fanbase and the project he is building is evident for all to see.
However if, what seems the most likely outcome was to come to fruition and the Australian was to leave the club to return to the NRL, who could Giants turn to next season?
One man who could take charge is the man who took charge of Huddersfield’s
final game pre-Simon Woolford – Chris Thorman.
Thorman, who worked alongside Woolford before taking the reigns at Workington Town, appears to be the outstanding candidate to ensure a smooth transition between head coaches and having already been in charge of an impressive Giants victory at Magic Weekend in 2018, he has some experience in the hotseat at a Super League club.
If 2020 is to be the final season for Simon Woolford, getting into the play-offs against all odds would be a fitting swansong.