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Low expectations are often a precursor to a positive experience. After all, the lower they are, the easier it is to exceed them.
To say that the bar was set low for the Greater Western Sydney Giants in their initial foray into AFL football is to be the master of understatement.
With the doomsayers lining up to declare a triple figure defeat, in some eyes all the GWS players had to do was run out on the ground with matching socks and jumpers and the night would have been considered a raging success.
But while the Giants’ uniforms were indeed immaculate, they delivered much more than that on the biggest stage in a team over-populated with teenage boys.
David King, on Fox Footy’s premier analysis show AFL360, accurately highlighted the way to watch GWS this year – look for glimpses of talent and brilliance from these young draftees, and try to see what they will be producing as a team in three or four years.
Fortunately for King, the GWS coaching staff, and supporters of the Giants, we saw more than just glimpses.
There was Will Hoskin-Elliot getting three disposals in a chain of possessions that cleared the ball from deep in defence to half forward; Stephen Coniglio leaving no one in any doubt why he was the number two draft pick with his clean hands and sideways movement in traffic; and Jeremy Cameron reading the play like a veteran, displaying the sure judgement in the air of a man five years older.
Despite the presence of senior on-ballers Callan Ward and Rhys Palmer, three other first-gamers dominated the disposals column. Adam Kennedy, Tom Bugg and Toby Greene left an imprint on all who watched, with a combined 82 between them. Greene had the biggest impact of these players, with a game-high 15 contested possessions and a team-best five inside-50s.
Five of the six first-gamers mentioned are 18 years old, the other is a year older.
We saw mature-aged freshmen like Tim Mohr out-marking Adam Goodes one-on-one and mopping up in the back half like a 75-game player, and Jonathon Giles responding after being soundly beaten early by Shane Mumford, coming back to not just break even, but dominate the Sydney big man for periods of the game.
When speaking of mature, it would be remiss not to mention the granddaddy of them all, James McDonald. He was arguably the most impressive Giant in the contest, his crisp ball use and aura of calm when he gathered possession a feature of his play.
The most eye-catching player in the orange, charcoal and white was Alice Springs-born Curtley Hampton. With moves that sparkled like a Twilight vampire, his impressive combination of speed, touch and a natural feel for the game stamped him as one that will follow in the footsteps of current-day indigenous superstars Cyril Rioli, Daniel Wells, and Adam Goodes, and dazzle us all for years to come.
From a team perspective, GWS looked a well-drilled outfit for such a young side, and their emphasis on collective defence held them in good stead when they were under the pump inside defensive 50, led impressively by co-captain Phil Davis’ out-pointing of Sam Reid in the air.
Sydney had 71 inside-50s but could kick only 14 goals, due in large part to the Giants working hard to flood numbers back.
Of course, this effort told when Sheedy’s men rebounded, for they were lacking any targets forward of centre. On many forays they were confronted with only Sydney’s Ted Richards, Heath Grundy and Alex Johnson, who took 21 uncontested marks between them, and 28 overall.
Too often the underdogs would link impressively from deep in defence with a chain of handballs, only to be forced to kick long down the line to the aforementioned Swans defenders.
While GWS will rightly be the focus of much of the attention out of this game, we must also assess what Sydney brought to the table. On face value, they were poor, and this may well be a kind description.
As alluded to earlier, the Swans’ attempts to turn a glut of inside-50s into goals were abysmal. Last year they ranked 16th in the league in this category, running at a conversion rate of 22.5 percent. Last night, it was 19.7 percent.
Sam Reid’s kicking for goal is acknowledged as his standout weakness, and while he doesn’t shoulder all the blame, missing a 15-metre set shot that any self-respecting 12 year old would expect to nail is not a good look.
A weakness last season was being ranked last in the league for playing-on after a mark, and Sydney lacked dash and verve once again. Only five running bounces is a testament to this, especially with three of them belonging to key defenders Johnson and Grundy who, as previously mentioned, were consistently finding themselves in acres of space.
The Swans’ inability to pierce a tired, inexperienced defence, only kicking one goal in the last quarter, spoke to an area of concern that needs immediate rectification if the Swans are going to be a serious top-four threat.
So, what does it all mean for both sides in the year ahead?
From a Sydney perspective, we’ve highlighted areas of improvement, and can potentially ignore the rest. While they will never admit to motivation being a factor in the first game of the year, the efforts of a lackadaisical Mumford and strangely off Goodes might suggest otherwise.
They also do not play ANZ Stadium particularly well. The surface has never been conducive to attractive football, and wasn’t again.
For Greater Western Sydney, a few things were in their favour that may not get a mention elsewhere. They were obviously up for their first ever game, and history suggests that induction teams perform strongly in round one. Even the Gold Coast didn’t lose in the corresponding round last year!
As previously intimated, the ground is traditionally low scoring, and the choppiness of the turf makes it difficult to run and spread. The latter aspect is crucial because while the Giants are going to be a relatively strong contested ball and clearance team, especially for their youth, they will suffer when it comes to outside run.
With this also being the Swans’ great weakness, they were not exposed on Saturday night. A fast track like Etihad or the wide expanses of the MCG will see them found out in this area.
In summary, the match was a more keenly fought contest than expected, but it was only ever going to produce one winner. While it might seem harsh to talk down a side that has won by 63 points, and strange to build up a side that has lost by the same, it all comes back to that word expectation.
For the Swans it was high, and they under-delivered. For the Giants it was low, and they over-achieved. It’s still too early to set a baseline upon which to judge either team.