Coach Brian McDermott has slammed criticism of his side's inconsistent form by insisting that it is all part of his young squad's development process.

McDermott spoke out after seeing Quins slump to a disappointing 26-16 defeat at struggling Huddersfield Giants, which frustrated his side's hopes of muscling back into the play-off spots.

The Londoners have now failed to win on the road since March, but McDermott refused to get carried away.

He said: "We haven't been walking around on cloud nine all week and we haven't been going around thinking we're the best team in Super League just because we beat Leeds.

"But there was definitely a physical reaction to that performance.

"You have to remember the type of team that's out there - Lamont Bryan, Tony Clubb, Will Sharp, Michael Worrincy and all the young players that we have.

"They have never been in this position before and it is a massive learning curve for all of us."

McDermott watched in dismay as his side yet again let a losing position slip at the Galpharm Stadium.

First-half tries from Clubb and Karl Temata seemed set to give Quins back-to-back wins for the first time since March, only for the Giants to produce a full-blooded second-half display to earn victory.

Harlequins mounted a late comeback with a Worrincy try, but it was too little too late.

McDermott added: "They had a lot of the ball throughout the game and a lot of field position.

"We defended pretty well but offensively we just never clicked."

One positive though for the coach was the return of Daniel Heckenburg, who featured for the first time since March.

McDermott said: "He does exactly what it says on the tin.

"He makes the tough carries and the tough tackles and its good to have him back."