Brown set to recall rested five

Huddersfield coach Nathan Brown is set to welcome back five key players to the Giants side against Catalan.

His side travel to the south of France to face the Dragons, and Brown will recall several individuals who missed the Giants’ 52-0 win over Swinton.

Kevin Brown, Larne Patrick, Luke Robinson, Eorl Crabtree and Michael Lawrence, but there are still some absentees from the squad.

Brown said: “Lee Gilmour won’t be available as his wife is due to give birth to their second baby on Saturday, and we aren’t sure if David Fa’alogo is going to be fit yet as he has had a minor setback that may not be quite right.

“We will definitely be picking a side that has been playing well and the players selected will all have contributed well in the past month.”

Travelling to Catalan poses different challenges compared to travelling to other away ground. Brown says the weather is always a factor when his side make the trip to Perpignan.

The challenge is made harder when the Dragons are at the top of their game.

He said: “It is a totally different fixture to any other that you play in the competition. You are visiting a coastal town that may be 25 degrees and sunny, more than just the Aussies look forward to going there.

“Catalan are a different opposition. They have their own unique style of play, they have a different philosophy on how the game is played, and they have caught the attention of many people in the past. They have a game in hand and if they win it puts them on eighteen points, it speaks of how consistent they have been this season.

“They have a physical and committed pack that isn’t just straight up and down. They have good footwork, are able to offload the ball and kick on, they can play a bit of footy.

“We haven’t played them yet this year so it will be a good test for us to see how we are going.”