Round 4, 2019 featured one of the gutsiest GWS victories in its history.
The Giants faced a red-hot Geelong at GMHBA Stadium and found themselves in a world of pain early, when co-captain Callan Ward went down with an ACL injury.
And the Giants were down on the scoreboard, too.
They trailed the Cats by as much as 22 points in the third quarter.
But it was no excuse for an inspired Giants outfit who fought back and defeated Geelong by four points in a thriller.
(Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos/Getty Images)
A far cry from who turned up in Canberra on Friday night.
Yes, it snowed.
It was a fixturing blunder by the AFL – because honestly, who schedules a game of football in Canberra on a Friday night in the middle of winter?
But, there were two teams on the field on Friday night.
Hawthorn adapted a lot quicker, a lot better and defeated the Giants by 56 points and held them goalless for the entire second half.
At the end of Round 21, the Giants sit sixth on the ladder and boast a healthy percentage.
More often than not, they’re playing good footy and there’s no question they are still in the best handful of sides in the competition.
And their depth is what makes them so dangerous.
There are two levels to the Giants’ depth.
The first, depth on a week-to-week basis. Navigating through injuries, suspensions and poor form.
The Giants have lost a host of stars this season due to injury – few bigger names than Callan Ward, Josh Kelly and Stephen Coniglio.
They also lost tagger Matt de Boer, who up until fracturing his shoulder was a lethal weapon for GWS and arguably their most important player.
It’s less than ideal, but they have navigated through the challenges by digging deep.
Many of their plays are two and three-dimensional, which makes it easier for Leon Cameron to replace those who go missing.
Take Zac Williams as an example.
A defender by “trade”, Williams has spent more time up the ground in recent weeks covering for the losses in the midfield.
And he’s getting a lot of the footy and using it pretty well.
AFL’s Statspro has judged his average disposals and metres gained for 2019 as elite.
Williams is having an impact as a dual position player.
As are those players that are coming into the side as a result of constant departures from the club.
That’s the second layer to the Giants’ depth.
Tom Scully, Dylan Shiel, Rory Lobb and Devon Smith are just a few big names that departed over the last 12 months.
Never mind the likes of Adam Treloar, Taylor Adams, Will Hoskin-Elliot, Josh Bruce and Tom Boyd – again, just a few names – who have gone on to play great football at a second club.
The solution?
Blood new stars.
Tim Taranto is the one who comes to mind that the Giants can really build a future around.
He’s energetic, he’s passionate and he is committed to the Giants, earlier this month re-signing until the end of 2022.
And nurture those already in your midst.
Stephen Coniglio, Josh Kelly, Harry Himmelberg, Nick Haynes, Jeremy Cameron, Lachie Whitfield, Adam Tomlinson, Jacob Hopper and Toby Greene (a few more names) are all talented young players doing great things for the Giants.
Add the likes of Heath Shaw, Matt De Boer and co-captains Phil Davis and Callan Ward leading the troops from in front and there is still plenty to like about GWS.
And they’ve had some big wins this year.
They’ve thrashed Richmond, Collingwood and Essendon at home, while they’ve come away winners in big games against Port Adelaide in Adelaide and the Cats in Geelong.
But the downfall? They’re not consistent, and, at times, not up for the fight.
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)
This was most obvious in both games against Hawthorn this season.
Given where Hawthorn’s 2019 is at compared to GWS, most would’ve had the Giants starting as favourites heading into both Round 8 and Round 21 clashes this year.
In Round 8, in front of less than 15,000 at the MCG the Giants fell by 33 points and barely looked like a threat for the entire afternoon.
The performance was lacklustre – as was their performance in Canberra on Friday night.
The Giants looked lethargic and uninspiring, constantly playing catch up to the Hawks.
The same way they fell away in the second half of the 2017 preliminary final against Richmond.
Or in the 2018 semi-final against Collingwood.
And while they played in one of the best preliminary finals in recent history against the Western Bulldogs in 2016, a good side should’ve won that game at home.
This isn’t to take away from the efforts by the Tigers, Pies or Dogs.
They showed up and left everything on the field – and all walked away victors.
But here is a team in the Giants, who are clearly good enough to make it deep into September but fall away when they can’t keep up, instead of rising to the challenge and matching the intensity demanded of them.
They just don’t live up to their promise shown during the home-and-away season and early on in the finals.
One minute, the Giants appear up and ready for the fight.
Not so imposing the next.
There are two rounds of the home-and-away season remaining and the Giants have somehow found themselves in the midst of an identity crisis.
Are they a strong, imposing side that is committed to doing battle from siren to siren?
Or are they simply going to put the breaks on when it gets too tough?
We know they’ve got the talent and the depth to push the best sides to breaking point.
But are they willing to work hard enough to do so?
I suppose that’s for the Giants to decide and the football world to find out.
Powa
Roar Rookie
they are worse than they look, one bad decision gave them a win when they should have drawn with port
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
Ross Lyon should coach the whole league.
Aus in Engerland
Guest
I wish we could clone Ross Lyon. Keep the original at Fremantle (for life) and send the clones to GWS, Essendon, Collingwood, Norf and GC. Any more than that and football would become unwatchable.
Peter Warrington
Guest
of course it is. and it is part of Greater Western Sydney, as well. you have a geography all of your own on this issue.
josh
Guest
Except that The Hills isn't Western Sydney.
Aus in Engerland
Guest
I think it has to do with expectation vs. reality. And it's a season so far assessment rather than a game review. GC put in a shocker. But it was expected. Most pundits had them losing by 60+, many were expecting 100+. Losing to the team in second spot by a big margin was no surprise. I had them going winless for the season with an average losing margin of 10 goals. So they've actually overachieved. Not article-worthy at all. North was another many expected to finish near the bottom. Losing to the top team at the graveyard that is Kardinia is no shock. The low score was, but the margin was less than I was expecting. Awful but not big article-worthy. As a season they've done better than I thought they would. Essendon was possibly the worst performance of the three. Playing under the roof gives no excuses for such a gutless performance. They will finish somewhere between 7th and 10th, the range most had them in. So as a season, this isn't noteworthy. As a game, it was. And there have been (correctly) many articles written that have been scathing. Even on The Roar. So they have got the articles. And fully deserved them! What is different about GWS is the expectation. They have been on the cusp for a few years now and have failed to deliver when push came to shove. It is not unreasonable to question the heart when it gets tough. The list says they should be at the top of the ladder. Their best performances (Geelong at Geelong, Richmond) suggests they should be one of the premiership favourites. But when they don't turn up, they really don't turn up. You expect that from mid or low teams, but not from a top one. So the article (from my view) is about the season rather than the game. And GWS deserve some heat for that.
Chris M
Guest
Ross Lyon is the perfect fit for this team.
Peter Warrington
Guest
Shoosh! Burleigh is divine. Don’t ruin it!
justif01
Guest
GWS had their genuine shot at the flag in 2016. In 2017 they were never going to beat the Richmond/Dusty machine. Since then the gloss has come off them very badly. Obviously they were never going to keep all of their key players but you look at the Hawks game where Scully was running around for the brown and gold and the Giants were missing Kelly, Coniglio, Ward and Hopper. It would be understandable losing a few players but out the door since 2017 is Wilson, Smith, Stevie J, Kennedy, Shiel, Lobb, Scully, Setterfield and Griffen. Of course then you have Deledio with constant calf issues and Patton sitting on the sidelines on 700k. Assuming both Coniglio and Patton leave then you would have an extra large chunk of cap space free so really the question is where do the Giants go from here? Playing Mumford and Simpson in the same side against the Hawks really sums up where the Giants are at.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Like any place when you're passing through SGC, it's the places you don't know about that are usually the best. The climate alone no doubt draws freezing cold Melburnians North.
SportsFanGC
Roar Guru
PTS - Next time you head up here avoid Surfers Paradise full stop. Check out the restaurants/bars in Mermaid Beach, Burleigh and Palm Beach - there is a sneaky good dining scene up here plus the ability to hit the beach during the day on a July/August weekend is excellent!
Cat
Roar Guru
Simple reality is due to the showgrounds being unavailable around the easter period for the Sydney show the Giants have to play somewhere else for a few games a year. Canberra came knocking.
Andrew
Guest
Where are the articles on the Bombers, Kangaroos or Suns who put up worse performances than the Giants? Surely the first 2 would get more clicks from their supporter bases
Peter Warrington
Guest
they should have chucked the Mint at Longmire. it would have weakened the Swans and created a massive stir, like the Cleary saga in the NRL.
Liam Clark
Roar Guru
I feel like GWS have the potential to definitely be battling for the Premiership, but they need to definitely figure out who they are as a unit. They seem to struggle during the Finals every year, and seem to only be a very good Home and Away team
Tom
Roar Rookie
Where do you live? Go to a kids game in the Hills. Giants shirts everywhere.
Timbo's rules
Guest
Of course there is no mention of the disgraceful umpiring. Collingwood last year played fast first quarters and then hung on grimly for the next 3. Take out at least 3 first quarter goals gifted by the umpires and you have an even game and Collingwood just weren't good enough to close those games out. GWS were robbed and noone but me cares.
Maxine
Guest
Fair enough Jimmy,and thanks for the clarification. You're right,it's interesting. Personally I think all the major sports have good products to sell,and our population has reached the level where multiple sports should feel confident they can compete and survive side by side. AFL,RL, have a good product and strong local competitions. RU,cricket, have OK local competitions and strong international appeal. Football,Basketball,have strong international appeal but the local competitions are certainly inferior to the products available overseas. Each sport therefore has its own strengths and weaknesses,no big deal,and there's certainly enough there for each sport to work with.
Gavan Iacono
Roar Rookie
Stevie J and Delidio. The 2 names dont really belong in the same phrase, but in this instance perhaps they do. That the Giants felt they needed either to boost their stocks betrays a lack of confidence and core belief in what they were / are doing. What they needed clearly (in retrospect) was / is a robust system and unique club spirit, and not a vip list (which they already have). They got very close in 2016, and quite close in 2017. Clearly now they need a vision aside from the canon of (what were once) young stars. Oh, and a new coach needs to instill this identity.
Jimmy
Roar Guru
Even though I’m not a fan, I am genuinely interested in the GWS franchise, it is an interesting example in expansion, what works and what doesn’t and how many resources it takes to make it work and carve out new ground. So when I say I don’t want to hear about that’s probably hyperbole sorry, I am interested in how the experiment goes but i do not consider myself a fan.