Giants make leap forward

Remi Casty: touched down for the Dragons' opening try

Jermaine McGillvary: Giants winger scored twice in first half

Winger Jermaine McGillvary scored two tries to end Huddersfield's five-match losing run and secure Paul Anderson's first win as Giants coach with a 36-18 victory over Catalan Dragons.

McGillvary's brace came in-between Remi Casty's score for Catalan Dragons before the hosts extended their lead to 24-6 at half-time thanks to tries from Scott Grix and Aaron Murphy.

David Fa'alogo and Lee Gilmour also touched down after the interval, while scrum-half Danny Brough converted all six tries to help Huddersfield forget their recent woes before Daryl Millard and Damien Blanch scored late for the Dragons.

Huddersfield had won only once in their last nine Stobart Super League outings but they made a strong start.

A flowing move started by Grix in the seventh minute saw Brough's high kick into the right corner fall just too far in front of the on-coming McGillvary.

Persistence

Eorl Crabtree then barged his way up field from deep after nine minutes and passed inside for Tommy Lee, whose kick into the right corner was nearly pounced on by Murphy.

The Giants' persistence paid off as McGillvary dived over in the right corner after 13 minutes to give the home side the lead from a flowing move involving Grix and Leroy Cudjoe.

The academy product's second try came after full-back Greg Eden was denied what looked a certain try on the line in the left corner in the 27th minute.

Huddersfield swept cross field from the next attack, with Grix and Cudjoe again involved, to set up McGillvary for his ninth try of the season.

Grix, in commanding form at stand-off, darted between two defenders on the line after 36 minutes to extend Huddersfield's lead.

Brough and Gilmour then combined on the hooter to put Murphy in for a touchdown in the left corner.

Catalan, who recalled nine of the 10 players rested for last week's 19-12 win over London, only got going after the interval in a contest played at the newly-renamed John Smith's Stadium.

In the opening period there was little sign of the team which beat Huddersfield 27-20 in May, a defeat which sparked the Giants' collapse from title contenders to also-rans.

Respite

There was some respite after 18 minutes when Casty beat Brough on a solo run for the line while Ben Fisher had a try ruled out just before half-time.

Millard dived over in the 63rd minute after the Giants had hit them with two more tries, from Fa'alogo and Gilmour, early in the second half.

The Dragons also created a flowing move in the 66 minute which opened up the home side's defence, but Vincent Dupont's try was ruled out for a forward pass.

Blanch added a third touchdown for Catalan after 72 minutes from Leon Pryce's kick. Scott Dureau added the extras to finish the match, like Brough, with a 100 per cent record.

Further pressure near the Giants tryline in the closing stages failed to yield another score, with Huddersfield hanging on for a morale-boosting win in front of 5,822 fans.