Reaching the Super League play-offs will not be enough for Huddersfield Giants boss Ian Watson – he is now targeting a top-two finish. The Giants have qualified for the end-of-season lottery for the first time since 2015 following last night’s 36-10 home win over Castleford Tigers.
Huddersfield's victory came on the back of an utterly dominant second-half display and left them needing just one more win to ensure a home play-off tie, which looks a formality. Yet head coach Watson is aiming even higher after his men moved to within a point of second-placed Wigan Warriors, albeit having played a game more.
Watson, whose side were hammered at his former club Salford last weekend, believes the victory over Lee Radford’s men has left them ideally placed to push for a top-two finish.
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“We’re sat in a nice position at this moment in time and that opportunity doesn’t always come around,” he said. “We need to make the most of that opportunity, but it (second place) was always in our sights.
“We’re not satisfied with just being in the top six because you’ve always got to aim higher. We’ve had a tough month but we picked three wins up which is pleasing. We got taught a lesson in the first half against Salford in how you should approach a game.
“If we'd have won that, we would be sat one point in front of Wigan and would be putting the pressure on them. We missed a little bit of an opportunity last week. If you finish second, for one you're not playing St Helens at St Helens in the semi-finals, you've got a home tie and a week off.
“With the congestion of fixtures where it's a little bit chaotic, that's a big plus. It's probably more important this year than it would have been any other year.”
Watson is hoping that that his old club Salford can win at Catalans Dragons on Saturday, which would boost the Giants’ hopes of finishing above the French club.
He added: “We've done a good job today and done Salford a favour as well. If they can beat Catalans at the weekend, that'd be really good for us.”
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