The Roar
The Roar

AFL
Advertisement

GWS edge Eagles to secure top-four finish

Josh Kelly of the Giants is set to make the big bucks as of 2018. (AAP Image/Brendan Esposito)
19th August, 2017
15

Greater Western Sydney have secured a double chance in the AFL finals, flirting with disaster before firing in the final quarter in a 21-point win over West Coast at Spotless Stadium.

GWS will finish in the top four and remain in the hunt for the minor premiership after triumphing 12.9 (81) to 9.6 (60).

In-demand midfielder Josh Kelly increased his value with a club-record 43 disposals for GWS, four of which came after a courageous attempt to spoil Josh Kennedy in the final quarter.

Kelly desperately threw himself into the path of Kennedy, wearing a heavy blow to the head then somehow returning to the fray amid a frantic finish.

“That’s what happens sometimes, I’ll wear it,” Kelly told Fox Footy.

“We’re starting to gel as a side, it’s pleasing.”

Kennedy converted his set shot, reducing the hosts’ lead to a single point, but Toby Greene, Shane Mumford and Kelly replied with the final three goals of the scrappy match.

Greene kicked on from a week of headlines, booting three goals, while Nathan Wilson’s pace and superboot were key factors in the Giants’ victory.

Advertisement

GWS’s class became clear when it mattered most but their lack of composure for most of Saturday’s pressure-laden contest will alarm coach Leon Cameron.

Poor decisions and clumsy blunders meant they repeatedly turned the ball over, gifting far too many goals to an opposition that is no certainty to play finals.

The result means the final-round battle between Geelong and GWS is expected to be a playoff for second spot on the ladder.

The crowd of 15,751 was a non-derby record for Spotless Stadium.

close