Huddersfield Giants’ build-up to the new Betfred Super League season has been hit by the news that star man Jermaine McGillvary has picked up a major injury (Huddersfield 22/1 – Grand Final Winner).
The winger, who only recently signed a new deal at the club to keep him out of the clutches of their Super League rivals and clubs in the NRL, has torn his hamstring and could be out for months.
The England international picked up the injury in the Giants warm-up defeat to Wakefield Trinity on Tuesday and will now undergo a scan to determine the extent of the problem.
One thing is for certain, McGillvary will not be available for the Giants’ opening day fixture against Salford on Friday, February 1st at the John Smith’s Stadium (Huddersfield 4/11, Draw 25/1, Salford 9/4 – match odds).
It is the second major injury worry for Giants head coach Simon Woolford, who will also be without centre Leroy Cudjoe for the start of the campaign, with McGillvary’s injury just compounding his misery.
“He’s going to be out for an extended period,” Woolford told Sky. “It’s not a minor hammy injury, it’s going to be quite a big one.
“With Leroy out already, we couldn’t afford to lose Jermaine.”
Huddersfield could put Darnell McIntosh on the wing, where he top-scored in 2018, or turn to teenage twins Louis and Innes Senior.
“We’ve put Darnell to full-back and he’s doing a really good job there so we’re not sure whether we’ll use him or Louis or Innes there,” Woolford said.
Following the injury news, McGillvary is 9/1 to be named in the Betfred Super League Dream Team in 2019, while Cudjoe is a 16/1 chance amongst the choices for centre.
Odds subject to change
