Giants’ heads roll as Anderson plots response

He acted after his lacklustre squad missed their first chance to progress straight to the Super League semi-finals with a humiliating 57-4 loss at Wigan Warriors.

Full-back Scott Grix is the highest-profile casualty following a raft of missed tackles in that game but England Knights loose forward Michael Lawrence, the club’s leading defender, has also lost his place.

“The real emotional thing to do would be throw 17 away and bring 17 in,” admitted Anderson, who took the unusual step yesterday of naming his line-up fully three days before the vital fixture.

“I told them after the game it wasn’t good enough and I’d name my team on Sunday.

“We had to upset a few people but that’s why I’m in this position and it’s not always easy.

“Grixy is a great, experienced player but the straight thing for him is he’s had a real disgruntled last part to the season with regards injuries and, more than anything, I just expect him to make more tackles. That’s the simple thing I said to him. Aaron Murphy won us the game the week before (St Helens 17-16) by making some try-saving tackles.

“It’s not all his fault. He came back and said ‘what about those lot up front? They (opponents) shouldn’t be getting to me.’ But when you are the last line of defence you have to make the tackles when they are there.

“That’s what you’re paid for.”

Murphy switches from the wing to full-back, facilitating Jodie Broughton’s return, while Australian Chris Bailey replaces Lawrence and, most importantly, captain Danny Brough returns after a two-game absence due to a ruptured testicle.

Young stand-off Jake Connor, therefore, makes way as does teenage prop Josh Johnson with Anderson preferring the greater size of recalled Ireland front-row Anthony Mullally.

That is, no doubt, in readiness for the robust Catalan pack that helped knock out Leeds Rhinos in Saturday’s dramatic 24-20 elimination win at Headingley.

Anderson insists he was not surprised by that shock result from a side that finished seventh.

“Catalan are a good, hard-working team,” he said, the French team now seeking a fifth straight win.

“They had their watershed moment beating Leeds at Leeds for the first time.

“And they’ll see what we dished up last week and see this as a good opportunity to come here.

“I’m pretty confident (coach) Laurent (Frayssinous) will be telling them to start all guns blazing and be patient and they’ll get their reward.

“But, good luck to them on that...”

Huddersfield defeated Catalan 38-16 at John Smith’s Stadium in July but lost by a similar scoreline in Perpignan earlier this year and have painful memories of a 16-6 play-off home defeat to the French side at this stage in 2009.

“They went flying back celebrating into the night that night and we don’t want to experience that again,” added Anderson.

“We don’t give a toss who we have to prove anything to.

“We just want to show on the big stage what we are capable of.

“We weren’t great at Wigan. We know that and we owe ourselves and everyone involved with this club.

“It’s the personal pride more than anything that dents you.

“We’ve had a couple of really good training sessions and today’s was maybe the best this year.

“It’s all about us now and progressing further.”