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Forget their historic Round 1 victory over the Sydney Swans, the GWS Giants’ 64-point thrashing of Melbourne has got to rate as the club’s most important victory.
AFLThe Giants arrived at the MCG having not won at the ground in six previous attempts, and if they were to break through against fellow wooden spoon candidates Melbourne, they would have to defy a horror injury toll which included the likes of Jeremy Cameron, Tom Scully and Lachie Whitfield.
Those two factors made Melbourne the favourites in what shaped as the last chance for either team to avoid the wooden spoon. However, the Giants already had the advantage of having defeated the Dees by 32 points back in Round 3.
The Giants’ injury toll grew worse when both their co-captains, Phil Davis and Callan Ward, as well as 2011 number one draft pick Jonathon Patton, went down with concussion, a calf and knee injury, respectively, all in the first half.
Sadly, it has been confirmed that Patton has ruptured the ACL in his right knee, which will mean another full knee reconstruction. It is the same knee which he injured against St Kilda in Round 3 last year.
Ward, on the other hand, won’t be risked again this season, while Davis will be tested ahead of the Giants’ showdown against Collingwood on Saturday afternoon.
The win was their second win over the Dees from as many meetings this season.
But while the match will be remembered for the Giants’ victory under great adversity, for the Dees it was their worst performance for the season and all the improvement they had shown under Paul Roos went out the window in a three-hour horror show played out in front of just 17,218 people.
History repeated itself as Melbourne became the first team to lose to the Giants in Melbourne, after also becoming the first team to lose to the Gold Coast Suns in the Victorian capital in Round 7 last year.
Comparing the two defeats, the loss to the Giants rates worse on the basis of the final margin and the inept performance overall. It could also prove a telling factor if James Frawley, as expected, leaves the club at season’s end.
There was also ugly scenes at the end of the match with Melbourne fans booing their team off the ground. These are scenes they have been accustomed to on a regular basis since the club’s most recent finals appearance in 2006.
With a season-best five victories under their belt for 2014, the Giants will now fancy themselves against another injury-hit side in Collingwood this Saturday afternoon in what is the club’s final game at Spotless Stadium for the year.
A victory is likely, but the players and fans should not get ahead of themselves too much, especially with Collingwood desperate to stay alive in the finals race.
The Dees must travel to Perth to face the West Coast Eagles this Saturday night, after which is followed by a trip west to Etihad Stadium to face the finals-bound North Melbourne.
On current form, it appears unlikely that Paul Roos’ men will win any of their two remainders, which would put the club at risk of its first wooden spoon since 2009.
They will be keen to see how St Kilda, who remain rooted to the foot of the ladder after its 71-point thrashing at the hands of the Sydney Swans, fare against Richmond and the Adelaide Crows in the final fortnight of the regular season.
Enough about Melbourne’s woes, but what a win it was for the Giants going forward as they progress towards playing to the AFL standard on a regular basis.
Cameron Ling said in Channel Seven’s telecast that the club could be playing finals as soon as 2016. If the Giants can continue their impressive progress in the next twelve months, then anything is possible.
It would also silence the critics who have repeatedly stated that the AFL’s foray into western Sydney would fail. All things in life must take time, and eventually the AFL’s investment in an area dominated by soccer and rugby league will be vindicated.
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