Greater Western Sydney’s Phil Davis insists the Giants’ young backline is standing up despite the four straight losses that have predictably kicked off their inaugural AFL season.
The Giants have conceded the most points of all 18 clubs – 529 after four rounds – to sit solidly adrift on the bottom of the ladder with a percentage of 39.70.
All up, they’ve been beaten by 319 points – their smallest defeat a 46-point drubbing at the hands of Adelaide last weekend which, by all counts, was their best performance so far.
Davis admitted final margins are just one of the challenges the Giants must face this year, given only he and Luke Power have more than one season’s experience under their belt.
“We’ve had over 60 (defensive) inside-50s in most games – not sure about the stats from the weekend – so there’s definitely a lot of ball coming in,” he said on Monday.
“That’s a bit different to most teams.
“But if you look at the performances of Adam Kennedy, Tom Bugg, Tim Mohr, Jack Hombsch, they’ve been very, very good this year.
“That’s been a real success for us.”
Canberra-born Davis returns to some familiar surroundings this Saturday when the Giants take on the Western Bulldogs at their adopted part-time home at Canberra’s Manuka Oval.
They’ll play three games there this season as part of a 10-year deal with the ACT government.
It’ll be akin to starting with a clean slate for the Giants, Davis said, who are hoping to make Canberra a fortress in matches against the Dogs, Gold Coast and Melbourne this year.
The Giants and Bulldogs will face off on Saturday for the Prime Minister’s Cup, a new initiative drawing on Julia Gillard’s status as the Bulldogs’ No.1 ticket holder.
The match is being sold as the first true battle between Melbourne and Sydney’s west.
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Things heating up in Canberra!
We’re taking a look at one player from each team that needs to make a difference this week, starting with the ANZAC Day games.
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