Sky Sports pundit Sam Tomkins offers insights on Huddersfield Giants’ sacking of head coach Ian Watson
Following a run of just one win in nine matches across all competitions, the Giants announced on Thursday that they had terminated Watson’s contract.
Sky Sports expert Sam Tomkins has weighed in on Huddersfield Giants’ decision to part ways with head coach Ian Watson, stating that the move doesn’t come as a surprise given the team’s underwhelming results in recent months.
The former Salford Red Devils boss had been in charge at the John Smith’s Stadium since the start of the 2021 season, leading the team to a 3rd-place finish in Super League last year and a narrow defeat in the Challenge Cup final.
However, with Huddersfield currently eight points off the playoff places with less than half the season remaining, Tomkins believes the Giants hierarchy felt a change in leadership was necessary.
“I don’t think it is surprising,” the two-time Man of Steel said in a video posted on X. “We’re in a results-based industry, this is his fourth year in charge at Huddersfield and you’d have to say he’s not changed a great deal in that time, which is what he was signed to do.”
Tomkins also pointed to the team’s 48-0 loss against Warrington Wolves last Friday as a potential factor in Watson’s dismissal, suggesting the performance “can’t have helped” his cause.
“That’s the tough reality of the sport, if the team aren’t producing, then they’ve got to make a change,” he added.
With assistant coach Luke Robinson taking the reins on an interim basis, Tomkins believes the Giants players now have an opportunity to step up and drive the team forward as they look to salvage their season.
“It’s important as a group that they drive it themselves,” he said. “They’ve got a lot of senior players, people like Chris Hill will take charge over this coming weekend, and I’d expect a big performance from them against Leigh.”
As Huddersfield prepare to face the Leigh Leopards in a crucial clash on Saturday, the search for a permanent successor to Ian Watson is sure to be a key focus for the club’s hierarchy in the coming weeks.
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