A frustrated Leon Cameron says he’s not afraid to swing the axe after Greater Western Sydney’s shock one-point loss to Carlton.
The Blues led at every break of Sunday’s clash at Etihad Stadium, fell behind early in the final quarter and then bounced back to claim a 10.11 (71) to 9.16 (70) victory.
Cameron’s men finished well ahead in clearances and inside-50s but were woeful in front of goal, with Toby Greene – who booted four behinds in the final term to finish with 0.5 – the worst culprit.
It was just the third loss of the season for the Giants, who remain second on the ladder and trail Adelaide only on percentage.
But it could be the last straw for a number of under-performing players, with the likes of Nick Haynes, Rory Lobb and Jacob Hopper set to return from injury after next week’s bye.
“People say that we’ll get some players back after the bye … but that’s irrelevant to me,” Cameron said.
“It’s absolutely irrelevant because the 22 that roll out each week should play with a certain amount of energy to be in the game.
“You could argue we were in the game because we only lost by one point but there’s not enough players that are going the distance at our footy club at the moment.
“If they don’t want to go the distance then what’s going to happen is they’ll be replaced.”
The Giants had looked to be nearing their best form after impressive wins over Richmond, West Coast and Essendon.
But while stars Dylan Shiel, Josh Kelly and Callan Ward were typically excellent in the midfield, Cameron said his side had been out-performed on the defensive end by the disciplined Blues.
“We’ve got some issues and we’ve got to fix them up,” he said.
“We’ve played some brave footy at times, we’ve played some okay footy at times but we’ve played some footy that actually is disappointing.
“Right now, if you put a percentage on it, we’re only going the distance 75 per cent. We need to find that little bit extra … or we’re not going to be a part of some real deep action at the end of the year.”
Co-captain Phil Davis struggled through much of Sunday’s game after rolling his ankle but Cameron said he expected the key defender to make a speedy recovery.
Jackpott
Guest
Agree, the reserves lost big. Who are they going to replace the players with. Injuries have taken their toll on the Giants. They should still be favourites to win the flag.
Cat
Roar Guru
There is a whole lotta 'ifs'. If they get fit, if they find form, if more don't get hurt, if they actually improve the team, if they can learn to win in Melbourne, if they can win in front of big noisy crowds. But yes, they do have a chance, just not the phone it in chance that the media have been giving them and the players bought into. They will have to start working a whole lot harder and show a lot more desire because if they struggle now it won't get any easier towards the pointy end.
justif01
Roar Rookie
Realistically they will get back Haynes, Lobb, Hopper, Setterfield and Smith shortly and Coniglio towards the back end of the season so I think Cameron is being a bit over zealous. Sure they lost to the Blues by a point but it was going to happen anyway eventually. They are 9 and 3 and if they have no further major injuries and get the previously mentioned players back and by a minor miracle Deledio and Griffin do get back they will have a decent shot at the flag.
Stewie
Guest
Yeah, they were on a mighty 0.4 at half time. Believe me, the score wipe didn't make them look that much worse!
Cam
Guest
Player count score wipe!! awesome
mds1970
Roar Guru
There's not the cattle to replace them. Virtually no depth left. Only 3 listed players played in the NEAFL on Saturday; the rest of the team were 16 year old Academy kids who lost by 150-odd points. Didn't look good that they had their score wiped in a player count.
Cat
Roar Guru
He's 'not afraid to swing the axe' ... bet you he won't though.