SAINTS travel up to the Magic event at Newcastle on Sunday hoping to continue their convalescence against a Huddersfield side that is far better than their lowly league position suggests.

The Giants, coached by ex-Saint Paul Anderson, endured an horrendous injury run at the start of the campaign which has led to them struggling in the bottom four.

Saints boss Keiron Cunningham, who expects to name the same 17, knows his men face a tough one at St James’ Park.

But with consecutive fixtures against the top three coming thick and fast afterwards, Saints need to string a pattern of consistent displays together if they are to stay with the leaders.

Cunningham said: “We are up against Huddersfield side who are in some good form and whose position near the bottom of the table is the biggest falseness in Super League.

“They have been just losing games by a couple of points and that changes the course of history.

“If you look at last three weeks, you see that - beating Leeds twice, in league and cup, and nearly beating Catalans in Perpignan.

“They are a good side who are finding that belief again. We are rolling into them on game four when they have got that confidence again.

“But we are not a bad side ourselves and if we do the right thing.”

Saints beat Giants 30-16 on the opening weekend of Super League - but that night Huddersfield lost Danny Brough.

The pugnacious Scottish international is back on board and will be directing operations on Sunday, if Saints permit him.

But with some strike out wide, and a big, durable pack, the Giants are anything but a one-man team.

“Danny Brough is a good little competitor who works hard for the team,” Cunningham said.

“But they have good players across the park.

“The games between the sides have been classics. The one in the wet at the start got blown out a bit, but we had the better kicker in the wet conditions on the day.

“The Saints Huddersfield games there’s always been just a couple of points in it. We are very similar type teams with players who work hard.

"Whoever maintains possession for large periods of the game on Sunday will win.”

In terms of the team, Saints have Shannon McDonnell available after missing the last two games with illness.

But Cunningham hinted that the squad is likely to stay the same or very similar to the one that defeated Salford 34-20 on Friday.

“It would be hard not to pick the 17 that worked so hard on Friday. There is nobody coming back as such – everyone who was going to be fit, is fit with Tommy Makinson back next year now," he said.

Luke Thompson has not played since the Warrington game and is suffering has post-concussion syndrome.

Cunningham said: "It is an ongoing thing and Tommo is as frustrated as anyone else. He was playing well, too before that."

The injury was sustained in the 66th minutes tackle by Ashton Sims which the match review panel's view was: "Player (Sims) making legitimate attempt to tackle opponent. Contact made with upper chest of opponent."

Cunningham disagrees.

"He is hit in the head on the night, I rang the officials about it, but he was not even up on a charge.

"I rang them back three weeks later and said that my front rower can’t play three weeks after that incident that you didn’t think was an incident.

"We are concerned about player welfare and want to make sure all is right before he returns.

"It is all in the medical hands and under probably one of the biggest head specialists in the country. Dr Brooks and Dr Perrett (our doctor) consult with Simon Kellett in Manchester who is the main man for concussion.