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Cudjoe: Bagged a hat-trick

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Leroy Cudjoe scored a hat-trick of second-half tries as Huddersfield boosted their play-off hopes with a 48-16 triumph over Wigan on Sunday.

Full-back Brett Hodgson also scored 20 points, including eight goals, in an eight-try demolition job at the Galpharm, which saw the Giants leapfrog Hull KR into third in the standings.

Shaun Lunt also waded in with two tries, while David Hodgson and Paul Whatuira contributed one apiece as Huddersfield secured a play-off tie with St Helens.

Wigan, meanwhile, could only muster three tries and must settle for sixth, which means a date with Castleford Tigers at the DW Stadium next week.

Record

Hodgson, named Giants' player of the year last week, started what proved to be Huddersfield's biggest win over the Warriors in the Super League era in only the eighth minute.

His solo run was halted by the Wigan defence but they conceded a penalty by stopping Hodgson from making a quick play of the ball.

Luke Robinson punished the Warriors with the final pass for Hodgson to go through from a move started from the tap penalty restart.

That prompted a rout and Wigan's only respite was to score breakaway tries through Mark Flannigan, Pat Richards and Joel Tompkins due to sloppy Giants defending.

Apart from that, the game was mostly one-way traffic and the Giants could have won by more if Liam Fulton had not twice stumbled when clean through after 25 and 61 minutes.

A David Hodgson solo effort and the first of Lunt's tries ensured Giants led 18-10 at the break.

Capitulation

The home side extended their lead after 45 minutes when the bounce on a Fulton kick through deceived the Wigan defence and Cudjoe pounced for the first of his tries.

Minutes later Wigan's Sean O'Loughlin fumbled a pass and Lunt stole the ball to race clear and touch down.

Cudjoe then finished off a flowing move in the right corner after 63 minutes but saved the best for last when he ran the full length of the field to register a stunning solo try three minutes from time.

Wigan's Cameron Phelps misplaced a pass and Cudjoe pounced near his own try line and dashed the entire length of the field to touch down. Hodgson landed the conversion to finish with eight goal kicks from eight attempts.