Academy Match Report: Giants 34 - 10 Hull KR

​The first part of Saturday's triple header resulted in a Huddersfield Giants victory as the academy got their season underway, dispatching Hull KR 34-10 at Laund Hill, spearheaded by the excellent Logan Blacker.

With the Giants playing the Robins Academy, Women’s and Men’s teams, the academy got the club off to the best possible start.

The first 15 minutes were a territory battle as both teams sought to feel each other out, however the deadlock was broken a quarter of the way through as a cut-out ball from the giants was knocked down by a Robin, into the palms of Blacker to score his first of the afternoon.

The Giants never looked back from this try, with Blacker once again having his hand in the lead up to the second try for the Claret and Gold. Making a break from a kick return, Blacker got the side onto the front foot allowing us to catch the visitors lacking, winning a penalty for offside. The resulting set led to the second try of the game for the Cowbell Army, as a sweeping move on the last led to Matty Hanley hitting a lead line to score. Further tries from Ward and Blacker’s second gave the Claret and Gold what turned out to be an unassailable 20-0 half time advantage.

The Giants started the second 40 under the cosh. Three repeat sets defending on their line, the Giants were able to hold out thanks to a Rovers try being disallowed for the visitors for a forward pass.

Off the back of this reprieve, great work out the backfield by Blacker and Tait led to the Giants forcing an error from the Robins as they fielded the kick! The resulting repeat set off the back of this led to the mercurial Blacker grabbing his hattrick!

This steely Claret and Gold wall couldn’t hold out forever and was finally broken after the hour mark. A scoot from the visitors' dummy half, on the 5th was finally the Young Giants’ undoing.

Further tries from Morrison and Hudson, sandwiched in between a lovely bit of ingenuity from the kick off by the visitors, a Giants sin-bin and a Rovers try, meant the opening round of the Academy season ended with a 34-10 victory, the all-important 2 points and a professional showing from our young Giants, headed by the exploits of Hattrick-hero Logan Blacker.

Huddersfield: Blacker, Morrison, Hudson, Hanley, Tait, Ward, Ward, Algar, Lumb, Donbravand, Sykes, Merta, Thornton. Bench: Gill, Firth, Land, Brown. 18th: Breedon.

Hull KR: Farrar, Parkes, Moses, Ratuvou, Wing, Walker, Watts, Smith, Foreman, Todd, Dearlove, Lauer, Gray. Bench: Watkinson, Adams, Fletcher, Fishwick. 18th: Howe.