Nathan Brown talking to sporting life : Wed Jul 15, 2009 6:16 pm
BROWN'S GIANTS STILL ON THE UP
By Ian Laybourn, Press Association Sport
Huddersfield coach Nathan Brown has ruled out the possibility of overhauling St Helens and Leeds but is looking for his double-chasing side to clinch a top-four finish by the end of the month.
After finishing third from bottom of the engage Super League in 2008, the Giants have surged to third from top under the former St George Illawarra boss and are in the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup.
Four of Huddersfield's last seven matches are against teams in the bottom six, while victory over Warrington at the Galpharm Stadium on Sunday can put Brown's men virtually out of reach of the five clubs all on 20 points.
"If we can consolidate where we are in the next three weeks, we can put ourselves in a position where the top four is a reality," said Brown.
"When Warrington and the other sides on 20 play us and (fourth-placed) Hull KR they will be looking at it as a four-point game because of what it can do for them and their season.
"The reality is that, if we beat the sides on 20 points, they've no chance of catching us - because our 'for and against' is far better than theirs.
"It would give us a big break on a good side like Warrington. But, if the result goes the other way, Warrington naturally come a little bit closer and put themselves in a good position.
"The reality is, if we win our share of games the worst-case scenario is a top-four finish.
"I think one and two might end up one and two. But if we can keep ourselves up where we are, we can re-evaluate and plan to do well down the track in the semis."
Huddersfield looked to have gone backwards after reaching the play-offs for the first time under Jon Sharp in 2007, but victory over the Wolves would enable them to surpass their points total of two years ago with six games left to play.
"When I came here, I didn't know what to expect really," said Brown.
"We didn't have any great goals. We just wanted to try and get some consistency as a group of people and get some improvements.
"Obviously where we are in the table at the moment would suggest the players are achieving those two things.
"We had a small down period not so long ago. But we've won our last three, and winning games helps you get a little bit higher."
