Squad nears full strength as Bulldogs snap up Giants trio
By Trevor Watson
BATLEY Bulldogs have made an agreement with Super League Huddersfield to bring three young Giants’ prospects to Mount Pleasant on the new dual registration terms.
The players are centre Josh Griffin, wing Alex Brown and half-back Kyle Wood and they are the first Huddersfield players to take advantage of the new Rugby Football League system to enhance the partnership between clubs.
The players will turn out for Batley but should Huddersfield need them they will be able to recall them at 24 hours’ notice. Usually a loan player comes for a specific time and that doesn’t always suit the club releasing him.
Bulldogs’ coach Karl Harrison is delighted with the deal which takes his squad number to 25 players. He added: “Its great to be able to work with Huddersfield to bolster our ranks with three very good players. I have made no secret of my desire for a centre and Josh Griffin is a big, strong, athletic boy who everyone has high hopes for.
“Outside him Alex Brown is a powerhouse wing, who scored a lot of tries last year in reserve grade, and the Giants have taken a shot at him full-time this year and expect him to be even better in that environment.
“In Kyle Wood we get one of the most promising young halves around. He had a good year at Sheffield last time and has a super kicking game and again, with the advantage of full-time training, we are hoping we can further bring him on.” Wood scored eight tries at Sheffield last season and could play an important role after the loss of another ex-Huddersfield player, Paul Mennell.
Harrison said the three would play for Huddersfield in the pre-season matches, which means they could well turn out against the Bulldogs at Mount Pleasant on January 3.
The coach went on: “These additions will give me some more quality options in key areas and, in all likelihood, will complete the squad for now.”
Giants’ managing director Richard Thewlis commented: “When the new rules were first mooted it made sense for us to speak to Batley first in respect of any players, who we felt had outgrown reserve grade, yet were not week in, week out Super League starters.
“This rule allows these three players the freedom to move between the two clubs’ first grade teams in consultation with our coach Nathan Brown and Karl Harrison and gives us a great opportunity to see them tested in a strong, competitive championship structure.
“I firmly believe it’s the right thing for their personal development and further believe that the influence of Karl Harrison will complement the work done on a weekly basis when training here with Nathan and the rest of the Giants’ first grade squad.”
If any of the trio proves as successful as Huddersfield loanee, Jermaine McGilvary, last season Batley will have no complaints as he came up with 21 tries, several of them spectacular efforts. The Batley Independent Supporters Squadbuilder Association were instrumental in securing all three players.
This week, Gareth Moore and Sean Hesketh trained at Mount Pleasant after their recent stints with the Scottish and Irish teams respectively to bring the squad up to strength.
Harrison remarked: “We have good numbers at training and they are all going well, we are working them hard.”
All tickets for tomorrow’s dinner at Zucchinis Restaurant on Bradford Road have been sold. The players and their wives and girl friends will attend and Harrison will hold a question-and-answer session as part of the evening.
Heinz snaps up his Bulldogs share – see Page 61.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Batley
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
