Greater Western Sydney coach Leon Cameron says his side still have plenty to learn on the road, despite surging home to beat North Melbourne in Hobart and moving to second place on the AFL ladder.
Star forward Toby Greene bagged three goals on return from a knee injury as the Giants beat North Melbourne on Sunday afternoon by 23 points.
It was locked 45-45 at halftime but the Giants kicked away with seven-straight goals from midway through the third term.
Greene, who was a late withdrawal in the Giants’ last-start loss to Adelaide, booted his third early in the final quarter in the 14.7 (91) to 10.8 (68) win.
Josh Kelly topped the possession count for the Giants with 35, while midfielder Stephen Coniglio was equally strong (27 touches and two goals).
“When you get beaten, you always want to respond. I think it was done in a really good manner,” Cameron said.
“The Kangaroos are really hard to beat in Hobart and, right now, they’re playing a really good brand of footy.”
The Giants have the bye next round, before a trip to Melbourne to take on Essendon.
They’re 5-1 at home and move to 4-3 on the road this season.
“I thought we got that balance right after halftime. We know we’ve got to do a fair bit of work to continue to learn to win on the road,” Cameron said.
It was North Melbourne’s first loss under new coach Rhyce Shaw.
The Kangaroos, who had been on a three-game winning streak including two under Shaw, are two victories outside the top eight.
They might have other headaches, with star forward Ben Brown reported for striking Matt Buntine with a raised elbow.
“Our defence stood up pretty well in that first half. But it’s just consistency across the four quarters against a top-quality team,” Shaw said.
Northern Tasmanian teenager Tarryn Thomas, who was the No.9 draft pick in 2018, had some eye-catching touches and two goals for the Kangaroos in front of his home crowd.
Kangaroos skipper Jack Ziebell kicked the opener in a first quarter in which the lead changed four times.
Greene gave the Giants a slender 20-18 lead at the first break with a kick that skidded through an empty goal square.
The Giants opened up a 14-point lead with successive goals at the beginning of the second term, when tempers flared in some push and shove.
Scores were deadlocked at halftime before the Giants kicked the final four of the third term to break the back of the Kangaroos.
The Giants’ Matt De Boer (shoulder) spent the final quarter on the bench after a heavy collision with 200-gamer Ben Cunnington.
Peter Warrington
Guest
see where everyone is after they have played 16 games
Yattuzzi
Roar Rookie
Can’t disagree with your top four and inconsequential second four. Richmond thought they could but they were dreaming. West Coast have an advantage over GWS because they have the mental edge over the Pies, even at the MCG. So they just have to make sure they are second or third. Should be easy.
User
Roar Rookie
Absolutely but I've got a cunning plan that will have wce vs gws in the gf. Season is so wide open but the four best sides are gee, Coll, gws & wce. Haven't seen enough positives in the other sides I expect to round out the eight.
Yattuzzi
Roar Rookie
They have been playing pretty well of late as well as the first half. But they fell of a cliff. If they are not damaged, they could give the Pies a shake at Marvel.
Yattuzzi
Roar Rookie
The orange boys are actually on fire. Real chance. Their kryptonite is shared by your boys.
User
Roar Rookie
Lol like their crowds it's hard to find?
User
Roar Rookie
Understand mate I just think 2 prelims and semi and a likely top four finish is really good. If they go through Josh Kelly, Greene etc career without a premiership I'd be disappointed but it feels like that should be a reality in next few years.
Yattuzzi
Roar Rookie
So no Gee spot problem?
Cat
Roar Guru
They have more 'talent' on their list than any other side. They should be dominating. They aren't. I'm not saying they are a bad side. They should be better though.
User
Roar Rookie
Disagree with you both, concerning the sum of their parts well id say finals wise they've done extremely well, if the measure cat is using is a premiership well that devalues how incredibly hard an achievement that is. I would say their gameplan for ease of everyone knowing, the orange tsunami where they run in waves of the half back as one of the most identifiable in the league.
Yattuzzi
Roar Rookie
No real trademark game plan either.
Cat
Roar Guru
Always been less than the sums of their parts. I blame the head coach.
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
North played alright I thought considering the Giants are pretty handy. Not that it impacted in the end but the Kangas couldn't get the men in yellow on board early when they had momentum. Still can't see the touch that caused the goal to be overturned. Anyway, onward and upward.
Yattuzzi
Roar Rookie
Their problem is the Gee. They should have pushed for more games there, even if they lose them. The talent they have is incredible. Towards the end they were playing with North. Some of the smart a_rse passes in the last quarter.
Justif01
Guest
The Giants do have a genuine chance at winning it barring any more major injuries. They don't have the depth to cover too many now. I actually thought that they would go backwards after losing Shiel to a trade and Ward to a knee injury but their midfield has held up quite well.
Yattuzzi
Roar Rookie
Looking like top 3 at the end of home and away, maybe top 2 if WCE stumbles. A dark horse for the cup. If you can ever call the bright orange dark. They need to beat a good team at the MCG. Essendon is their mini test in round 15 at Marvel. Their real test is at the MCG two weeks later. Same with WCE, their test is the Hawks at the MCG in round 15.