Simon Woolford: Huddersfield Giants boss expects to leave Super League side at end of season

Simon Woolford left his job as Newcastle Knights assistant coach in the NRL to take over as Huddersfield boss in 2018

Huddersfield boss Simon Woolford has said he is likely to leave the Super League club at the end of the season.

The Australian, 45, is out of contract at the end of the campaign and has been linked with the assistant coach job at NRL side Penrith in his homeland.

He told BBC Radio Leeds he expects to leave with unfinished business after moving to Huddersfield with a "three or four-year" plan in 2018.

"If I was a betting man I'd probably say that I'll be going home," he added.

"I'd like to finish the job I started, that would be the preference. But at this stage, if I was a betting man, that is probably not going to happen."

Woolford, a former Newcastle Knights assistant coach, was appointed Giants boss in 2018 with the club bottom of the table and battling to avoid relegation from Super League.

He guided them to safety, but again in 2019 they were among the teams fighting to stay in the top flight.

"When I took this job on I always anticipated it being a three to four-year job," he added. "I've been here just over two years now and feel like we've made a lot of inroads with our squad.

"When I first got here it was pretty dire. The club was looking at relegation but we had a nice run of games when I got here and last year we were cut down by injury and it was a tough year.

"But, if you look at our squad now, and all things being equal, it's a squad that can compete for trophies in Super League."

Woolford's side started the 2020 season with four wins from five league games, but since the campaign's resumption following the five-month break because of coronavirus pandemic they have failed to win any of their three matches.

Injuries have also hit the seventh-placed Giants squad hard since returning to action.

On Wednesday, when he named his squad to face champions St Helens on Friday, Woolford said he had only 16 fit players at his disposal.

"Things haven't gone well for us since we got back," he said.

"We have played well but without any luck - we have lost players in games and lost a couple of one-pointers.

"Thankfully, pre-Covid break we won four out of five. While I'd like to have had another win or two on the board, we can get through this weekend and get six to eight players back next week and still be in in a pretty good position no matter what happens this week.

"It's not as if we are are down the bottom of the ladder with no chance of making the semis. We just need to get through this tough period and stick together, and more importantly stick together as a club."