There are passages in every Giants game where football’s end of days appears to be ahead of schedule.
The clearest passage in Saturday night’s demolition of North Melbourne – an impressively lazy, almost uninterested demolition – came in the first quarter.
Devon Smith stole a handball intended for Daniel Wells, waltzed inside 50, calmly dummied Nick Dal Santo, and then fed a perfect handball to Callan Ward’s advantage, who – duly, as though compelled by the football gods to finish such sumptuous build-up play – slotted the goal on his opposite foot with conviction.
It was a special, bordering on surreal level of effortless wizardry from Smith, of which the two men he left in his wake – smooth operators Wells and Dal Santo – would have been proud.
It’s moments like this, moments where Greater Western Sydney combine pace, polish, incision and force like nobody else in the competition can, where you start to think that football’s apocalypse might already be upon us.
On Saturday night GWS had 15 players take the field with under 100 games experience, more than twice as many as North Melbourne. But it was the Giants who looked like the composed, veteran team – never really exploding as they’re prone to, aside from a stretch in the third quarter, but always in firm control of a dour arm-wrestle.
In a lot of ways it was an unimpressive victory, in the sense that GWS didn’t play all that impressively. But it was a win that might say almost as much as when they blew the doors off of Hawthorn and Sydney earlier in the year.
The Giants played on the road against a solid, more experienced team coming off an emotionally charged week, never really hit top gear and still came out on top in a six-goal laugher.
After the shock loss at home to Collingwood, the needlessly difficult narrow win over the Gold Coast, and losing to West Coast with the double chance on the line three weeks ago, the easy narrative developed that GWS – those young guns whose trigger fingers were tiring – were fading at the finish line.
But the Giants enter September in as good form as anyone. They’ve won six of their past seven and nine of their past 11. GWS have the fittest list of all the finalists and, remarkably, are two wins in their home state from a grand final appearance.
Jonathon Patton has chosen a frightening time to start realising his potential, having kicked bags of six and five goals in the past fortnight after never kicking more than three in his previous 51 games.(Click to Tweet)
Patton has always apppeared a superhero, a towering colossus who looks more like he should be thwarting the Joker than competing in marking contests with Michael Firrito. For so long his superhero act has only been an aesthetic, but in the past two rounds it’s become a football reality.
Lachie Whitfield saga aside, GWS were the big winners of the past week, with Adelaide’s meltdown opening the door to the double chance. Politics have conspired to help them too, with their qualifying final – disgracefully – to be played at ANZ Stadium, a setting that offers no definitive advantage to the minor premier.
I’ve been to ANZ Stadium twice – for the 2012 AFL preliminary final and a Kendrick Lamar concert. It only made sense for the latter.
The Giants will hold no fear of their bigger, more decorated in-state brothers. They beat Sydney by seven goals in their last meeting, and their dynamism and height in the forward line will give the Swans’ defence headaches, and their blistering leg speed in the midfield will give their middle men leg cramps.
GWS are already the bookmakers’ premiership favourites for 2017 but they’re good enough to make the future now. They have A-grade talent in all three phases of the ground, and the competition’s most potent mixture of speed, skill and physical force. Even in 2016, their ceiling is higher than anyone else’s.
Inexperience is the caveat, as it has to be, and it makes their basement lower than the other contenders. Teams usually have to take their lumps, to breathe in some September pain before they can go all the way. The Giants haven’t played many close games this year and that could burn them in finals. The collapse against West Coast was a debacle – you had to kill that ball Dylan Shiel – and will surely loom on their minds in a close game.
‘A lack of experience’ is the old guard’s favourite reason for doubting a contender, and it’s one of their few, best points. There’s no real precedent for the Giants winning the flag this year, and that’s why Sydney, Geelong and maybe – although their case grows weaker by the day – Hawthorn are better bets.
But there’s no real precedent for a season as even as this one either, and if the Giants grow up fast we could be looking at Apocalypse Now, and apocalypse for a while.
Tricky
Guest
I don't agree with getting rid of qld teams either, however it seems unless they're beating the world the seats are vacant and ch9 gets the ratings - that's why I'm liking the success of the nsw teams it's doing it's job of growing the game in a foreign state. The only thing is and history shows us this they have to have sustained success otherwise the gate receipts and ch7 coffers dry up. It's a gamble - undeniable - and I want it to work BUT if the AFL are to siphon funds into a drain (like bris currently) then it is just that - drain. I can respect republican's view in a sense that his team has only one flag and now they're coming into finals form for next year they have to also deal with a "giant" problem in that it certainly looks like gws are favoured by the league - and they are for good reason. BUT put yourself in the shoes of the Dees, Dogs, Saints for example when finally they're coming good and a team that is publicly favoured by the league is in opposition to you. Just like the dons and pies in 01,2 and 3 - let's be honest only bris were going to win those flags.............. as intended by the AFL
Joe B
Guest
I think the AFL could make the tough call to relocate, merge, or "relegate" to the VFL, 1 or 2 of the smaller clubs. Melbourne teams sell games to other states atm (esp Tas), and you could argue that any drop in "bums on seats" would be offset by increased attendances at a new club based in Tassie. If the AFL pull out of the QLD market, that would have to affect the broadcast dollars on future deals. The poor decisions made at the Suns has really hurt. IMO they should not have sacked Guy McKenna, and hindsight has shown us the choice of senior players recruited for the first couple of years was bad (specifically Brown and Hunt), and Ablett has proven to be lacking in off field leadership. Getting rid of the QLD teams won't improve the fortunes of the smaller Melbourne clubs. The AFL has indicated that the expansion clubs are essential for the codes growth, so, unless they change their objectives, the QLD teams have strategic value, and consolidation of the Melbourne market is an option to enable growth elsewhere.
Glenn
Guest
Not sure I see a lot of haters, is that the definition of differing opinion these days?
Tricky
Guest
Actually Joe B the WAFC offered a bail out for the VFL - not just the clubs in exchange for a licence to compete and voila wet toast was born into the VFL You're right Vic does have too many teams but the AFL won't dispense with them because they offer a lot of collective bums on seats so for the league it obviously makes more money to keep these clubs than allow them to die financially hence the bail outs. Besides if you were in the chair would you be brave enough to dispense with a 150+ year team (like Melbourne)? As a result of the current overload of teams the league cannot expand any more teams, they could send a team to NZ (Saints) but my tip is that would be a very very unpopular decision among their supporters and members(38000) In that respect Republican may be correct in that trying to sell the game in the nrl states with "plastic" expansion teams (as he says) with all the money thrown at it is well a waste of money and I'd be the 1st to support bailing out the traditional clubs instead gambling on the unknown IMV if the giants can sustain a position at the pointy end then it may be worthwhile so they'll give it some time - but it has to be sustained, the lions are proof if you're not beating the traditional states at their game then the stands will empty. It may be culling time if the qlders don't get on board soon (next 2-3 yrs)
Tricky
Guest
Yeah nah!
Republican
Guest
Say it ain't so Joe. 'AFL expansion plans get the wooden spoon' - Crikey, June 23rd 2013' offers a counter opinion that is probably worth a read despite it being 3 years ago because nothing has changed really. The double standard is what I take the greatest exception to. GM the AFLs CEO will tell us that they are cashed up enough to commit to GWS, a potential white elephant for at least the next 20 years, while Tasmania and the ACT, footy heartlands certainly compared to GWS, are way too risky in respect of being considered for stand alone clubs, oh and then right after that he announces plans to expand into NZ, all in the same rhetorical breath taking address to the National Press Club last year. I don't know who you support Joe, but I expect you are fairly self assured that your club are unlikely to be reinvented somewhere else in the interest of greater broadcast potential because empathy is a powerful game changer.
Joe B
Guest
I am not sure if you understand how the AFL secures massive broadcast deals, and how that money props up poorer clubs (eg. A few Melbourne clubs). Do you know why WA was asked to join the then VFL, and pay a massive licence fee for the privilege? To help bail out struggling Melbourne clubs. It is not non-vic clubs that causes financial struggles for the smaller Melbourne teams, it is the big Melbourne clubs that get the better treatment by the AFL. Melbourne has to many teams.
Joe B
Guest
Like being spoon fed home ground advantage for the GF?
me too
Guest
pales in comparison to their code rival neighbour. and they were given far, far more advantages. They have wisely taken a longer road to success, and will continue to benefit from the AFL compromising fairness in order to achieve a foothold in western sydney, but unlikely they'll ever garner even close to the same level of community support as wsw.
Republican
Guest
....the complete comp is manufactured, engineered and an illusion in all honesty.
Republican
Guest
....and here in Canberra we were led to believe they were our team too?
Republican
Guest
What will be interesting is to see just how much GWS presence in the finals this season influences support through the gate, in memberships and at the GR in Western Sydney. I don't believe it will impact these significantly, while both plastic expansion models, i.e. GWS and GC will continue to bleed established clubs dry. How long are the AFL willing to punt on what is a very expensive and financially disenfranchising experiment and why do they continue to talk up further expansion? I believe they have created their own fiscal frankenstein truth be told.
michael RVC
Roar Pro
The Melb centric yesteryear brigade in full flight here. You might like to think about their achievement from another angle. It's pretty impressive.
Brad
Guest
Why, so the swans belt you at the SCG like last time?
Brad
Guest
GWS is a joke of a club. Winning any match really means nothing when you have been spoon fed the best players in the country, in total contradiction to the AFL's equality mantra.
Brad
Guest
More players at the club than the club has fans! The side being so strong really means nothing when it is manufactured like it has been. Completely unfair advantage over all other clubs
Tricky
Guest
More to the point they've been given a leg up because well they needed it, it's just unfortunate that it is the case that it is required just like GC and of course Brisbane before them. Maybe it could be re worded as intent by the league through concessions, academy zones, team takeovers (in the case of the bears and fitzroy) to have teams in non aussie rules states to have some success to grow the game in those areas - obviously this last sentence cannot be debated
Terry
Guest
I predict they will smash the Swans.. To many gun players and they will be fired up in their Hood..
John van gend
Guest
Yes they are ready to take the next step if its not this year it willbe stronger for 2017 season
marron
Guest
Don't see why not MF, after all, that's how many members they have. ;)