Huddersfield to show last year was no fluke with Wigan win

The Super League is back with a bang on Friday night as champions Wigan Warriors host Huddersfield Giants in the campaign’s curtain raiser.

The Warriors are 1/2 to make the perfect start and include five of their new signings with Matt Bowen, Dan Sarginson, Tony Clubb, Eddy Pettybourne and John Bateman all potentially to be a given a chance to impress on debut.

The Giants are also sporting a new look with new additions Antonio Kaufusi, Chris Bailey and Jodie Broughton all in line to make their first starts for the club.

The game has actually been moved forward to aid the Warriors chances against the Sydney Roosters in their World Club Challenge tie later in February.

All eyes will be focused on their first test of the season, however, with Huddersfield the only other team apart from their opponents to lift any silverware last year.

Huddersfield finished on top of the pile for the first time in 81 years last term and will be desperate to show that they can match the consistency that gave them the League Leaders’ Shield.

A first Grand Final place was beyond them after losing out to Warrington in the semi-finals but with last year’s Man Of Steel, half-back and captain Danny Brough in their side they will be rightly confident of overturning the odds at 7/4.

The Giants have won three of their last five meetings including two victories in that sequence at the DW Stadium and so the advice has to be to support the away team to continue that fine record and notch another success against the odds.

Huddersfield will rightly feel they were the best team in the division last year after finishing the season top and they will have enough desire to prove that early again to make them worth backing here.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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