NextGen: The ‘hardest training’ youngster Huddersfield Giants have high hopes for

Huddersfield Giants have produced a number of Super League players over the years, with the highly-rated Aidan McGowan being next off the conveyer belt.

The 22-year-old came through the youth ranks at hometown club Huddersfield before making his first-team debut for the Giants in July.

McGowan is well-known in the Championship though, having made more than 50 appearances in the second tier over the last four seasons whilst on loan with Bradford Bulls, Batley Bulldogs, Dewsbury Rams and York Knights.

The Ireland Under-19s representative played 17 games for Bradford this season before being recalled by Huddersfield, making his debut against Warrington Wolves in July.

McGowan has since played seven games for Huddersfield’s first-team, scoring one try, and is set for an extended run in the side following Adam Swift’s unfortunate season-ending injury.

Giants boss Luke Robinson worked with McGowan whilst he was coaching the club’s academy and couldn’t speak highly enough of the talented youngster following their defeat to Wigan Warriors on August 1.

“He’s been brilliant,” Robinson told Love Rugby League when asked about McGowan.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s really difficult to replace Swifty, we’ve got eight or nine of our 17 out, and it’s really difficult to replace those but I feel really chuffed for Aidan.

“He’s probably one of the hardest training blokes you will ever find.

“I was academy coach at the time and we did a nutrition seminar about how to put weight on and he put about 7kg in six months and all the rest of the lads couldn’t believe how he did it but he said ‘I just did what they told me to do’.

“He trains ridiculously hard, he’s the first on the field and the last to leave. He’s getting his rewards for it now.”

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Huddersfield have fielded 10 academy products in Super League this season – Jake Connor, Olly Russell, Sam Hewitt, Leroy Cudjoe, Matty English, Olly Wilson, Jack Billington, Fenton Rogers, Kieran Rush and now McGowan.

And Robinson, who worked as the club’s academy coach for several years, is more than willing to put trust in youth when their senior stars are sidelined with injuries.

“Not only Aidan, Fenton Rogers has come in and not played many games before, and we’ve had numerous players that have come in to play this year who were probably on the periphery and wouldn’t be one of our main players,” Robinson added.

“But as one door closes (due to injuries), another opens for someone else and that is the way it goes in sport.

“It’s very rare that young lads get an opportunity (straight away) unless you’re a Sam Tomkins or someone like that who comes along who is a freak.

“The likes of me – I only got an opportunity (at Wigan) because Adrian Lam got injured – that’s just how you get opportunities when you’re young lads and you’ve got to take your chance with two hands and thankfully Aidan has took his. I think some of the other boys have done it, so even though we are down on numbers, some of the younger lads will hopefully be better for it in the long run.”

Player profile

Name: Aidan McGowan
Date of birth: 12/03/2002
Position: Fullback/winger
Senior debut: Warrington Wolves (A), 05/07/2024
Honours: Ireland Under-19s

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