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Essendon have outlasted the GWS Giants at Spotless Stadium to record their fourth win of the season, and their second in a row.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
GWS Giants 8.12.60
Essendon Bombers 14.11.95
The GWS Giants will try to get their season back on track at Spotless Stadium against the Essendon Bombers. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog from 7:25pm AEST.
It’s been a tough year for the AFL’s newest club.
By most estimations they went into 2018 with one of the strongest squads on paper, and yet after eight rounds they find themselves in eleventh position on the ladder, having lost their last three games, each by at least 25 points.
Injuries have had a significant impact, but nevertheless it seems obvious that they are less than the sum of their parts.
But footy is a funny game and things can turn around fast. Just ask their opponents tonight in Essendon, pilloried after four straight losses – the latter against the hapless Blues – only to bounce back by trouncing Geelong last week.
The Bombers looked like a new side against the Cats, winning almost every position on the ground. Four goals to Shaun McKernan, a best-on-ground performance by Cale Hooker and 25 touches to debutant Jordan Ripley epitomised how many individuals found another level.
The challenge of course is to get somewhere near that level every week; so far in 2018 that kind of showing is very much the exception for John Worsfold’s men.
They take in an almost identical lineup, with the only change omission being Dylan Clarke, to allow the return of Andrew McGrath from injury.
The Giants are rather less settled at the moment making four changes. But they’ll be grateful for the return of Josh Kelly, along with Patton, Buckley and Buntine for his first game of the year.
GWS have left out Keefe, Finalyson and Cumming, while Sam Reid misses through injury.
Prediction
The truly sad thing about the Giants right now is that you can’t even call them consistent. They’re just predictably mediocre. My suspicion is whatever happens tonight there’s no renaissance coming in 2018.
They’re still playing just well enough that you could back them against the Essendon side we’ve seen in the opening seven rounds of the year. But not well enough to beat the barnstorming Bombers who buried the Cats last week.
A wise person once told me when in doubt to pick the home team. And if you’re still in doubt, ignore everything that’s happened in the past week and think about who you’d pick then. Both bits of advice have served me well, and both of them tell me to pick the Giants, so that’s what I’m going to do.
GWS by 15 points.
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