Pryce will be back ‘bigger and stronger’
IAN Watson has not ruled out naming Will Pryce in his Challenge Cup final squad even though it would be the player’s first outing after a 10-game ban.
The Huddersfield Giants star has so far served eight matches of the hefty suspension for his tackle on Hull winger Connor Wynne in March.
With Giants hosting Wigan tonight and Toulouse next Friday, it means he is back available when Watson’s side face Wigan in the showpiece occasion at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 28.
It would be a huge call to thrust maverick
Pryce straight back in especially as Giants have fared well in his absence - but the teenage stand-off/fullback is rated one of the game’s best young talents. Asked if he would consider the teenager for the Cup final, Watson said: “You never rule anything out.
“It’s all about generally on form. The guys that have been playing so far, at the moment, they hold the shirts. It’s all on them just to maintain those shirts going forward.
“Prycey has been training the house down. He looks a hell of a lot stronger. I’m not saying it’s a good thing he had a ban but the good thing is he has been able to work on his game.
“Physically his conditioning - because he missed a pre-season - and his weight, he already looks better and physically stronger.”
Indeed, Watson expects the Giants will see a new and improved Pryce when he does take back to the field.
“He’s been working on his kicking game, his defensive game and he’s been doing little bits on his attack today,” added the coach. “So I expect we’ll get a better athlete and a better player coming back when he does. He just needs to keep himself in condition now and wait for that opportunity to come.
“This spell will have been huge for Will given what’s happened before. In the first year we came in he missed a bit of pre-season due to a fracture of his lower back which meant he couldn’t train with the first team for a couple of months. And this pre-season he missed a bit after the injury he got with England Knights. So this means he’s had a good little pre-season. He’ll tell you he’s not enjoyed it one bit but it will be really good for his career going forward, the work he’s just put in.”