Ian Watson praises Huddersfield youngster following win over Wigan

Huddersfield boss Ian Watson was full of praise for young Sam Hewitt following their 32-22 victory over Wigan at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Hewitt, 23, scored a vital try in the second half that extended the lead to 26-16 before the Warriors hit back.

The forward had played 33 Super League games before the fixture on Thursday night, and Watson was full of praise for the youngster.

“It was a weird game,” Watson said.

“I think obviously the amount of changes both teams had, it was going to feel like that anyway.

“I thought our squad and the way they approached it and mentality going into the game was outstanding. I thought there were some guys who stood up there and showed some really good performances.

“A highlight being Sam Hewitt. I thought he was outstanding today. It was his first game for a while now and I thought he was outstanding. His last game was St Helens on the Easter Monday.

“I thought he was outstanding.”

Report: Giants defeat youthful Warriors in Challenge Cup dress rehearsal

Challenge cup selection for Ian Watson

The Giants will play one more league match before travelling to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the Challenge Cup final.

Watson may have a few selection headaches for the big day on May 28.

When asked if individuals put themselves in his thoughts for the fixture, Watson replied: “Everyone’s going to do that every week. I think the guys who played in the semi-final put their hands up and performed. The big thing now and what we talked about today was that we wanted to show how good our squad was.

“We wanted to show that our squad was a really good squad and it can win even when we go make changes.

“People are always going to put their hands up. Like I say, I think Sam Hewitt did his chances a world of good there.”

Podcast: James Graham on World Cup, Saints farewell and life after league

PLAY: Our free Fantasy Rugby League competition is back for 2022