Good on you for revisiting the tips. Don’t worry everyone rode off GWS

The city west/M7 link newly open takes 20mins from Homebush to Airport. 20mins to the CBD. Traffic in Melbourne is no picnic

Typical Melbourne attitude to close the expansion clubs. So what if none of the players live in Western Sydney, do all Hawthorn players live in Hawthorn or Western Bulldogs players live in Footscray? the Giants club and training facilities are in Western Sydney and are pretty good.

Here’s an idea why don’t you limit the number of Vic clubs to five and have a relegation race back to the VFL amongst the Melbourne clubs. The east coast second tier competition is already called the VFL.

I would miss the Giants and if they fold then the AFL can forget about Sydney. The Swans will become a boutique

And they still needed help from the umpires!

I thought the Blues GWS game was closer than that. Sure the Blues missed some easy shots (so did the Giants) but the Blues got the rub of the green with the second quarter Coniglio holding the ball (pronounced Co-knee-lio ump), and the 50 to Docherty, so that evened it out. Umps Also missed two high tackles and front on contacts that could have easily been frees to the Giants and that happened in front of goal, but the dissent free was the difference in the end. Very disappointing as I think the Giants are underrated

Thanks for the article. I think the Giants are better placed than in say 2018, and are a lot like the beginning of 2019. There hasn’t been a player turn over like in other years, but I always feel that everyone expectations on GWS are too high or too low. There are the usual suspects; but their back line is really good. Conner Iden is a gun as is Sam Taylor, but the two players who are the most exciting are Conner Stone and Tanner Bruhn. Bruhn looks to have had a interrupted pre season so might be a little flat for a second year player, but Stone had a really good game against Geelong in the final, he’s first final and for that matter first game in three months. Even in the trial he looks like he has something. If he is going to show it needs to be early, because the youngsters tend to run out of puff at the end of the year

What a ridiculous article. I suppose that staring at the wall in Melbourne has made you see things that aren’t there. I can only assume that your view on GWS is limited to your five km radius.

“GWS are broken in everyway.” That’s just stupid. I’d accept GWS had a annus horribilis, or the pressure mounts on Leon Cameron, or The Giants need to capture the Zeitgeist, but that the club is a smoking ruin is rubbish. I’m a little sick of the Melbournians bagging the club. Work out your Hotel Quarantine.

Unlike you, I support the team. That means I am coming from a completely biased view, but that doesn’t mean I am wrong. GWS no matter how you look at it has been a success. I am talking about how they grow the game, how many finals they played and how they have had been created as a club. Plenty of clubs have had talented teams and haven’t been anywhere near as prominent.

No matter what you think, Leon Cameron has been a major part of that from the start. He has earned that for another year. I doubt living in a hub and having to tear into players then seeing them at breakfast lunch and dinner would curry much favour. I’m sure that he has told them how to play, but the final three weeks of games were rubbish.

The GWS set-up legacy has allowed them to get the high draft picks, but they can’t always keep them because some dumb Melbourne club think that they are going to turn their fortunes around and pay them a fortune. See Essendon with Sheil and Smith. Look out Carlton!

The gulf between Richmond and The Giants in the GF was huge, but the similarities between where Richmond was in 2016 (chronic under achievers) and Giants 2020 is similar. What Hardwick has done is rare, but if Leon wants to turn the pathetic on field performances this year into something different the pieces are still there.

They’ll get it back when they trade Jackson Hately,(back to Adelaide) or Jye Caldwell, or Xavier O’Halloran

Agree with the comments, but a couple of things. No team has suffered more mentally than the Giants from the pause in the season. They smashed Geelong and were pretty pumped. When they returned…we’ll North Melbourne beat them. Whether it’s a grand final hangover, or not having the chance to train all together who knows. When they play well they beat everyone… even Richmond. The difference between their best and worst is by far the biggest in the comp. This is what they need to do for 2021.

Firstly have a break. Forget footy, forget the GF

Secondly change their game plan. Increase the pressure in the forwards and fix their wingers. Put Hill, Daniels (gun), and Langdon in the front. Trade Findlayson for a ruckman, or play Flynn and Briggs. Get Green (Tom) in the contest all the time. He is a gun. Have Whitfield down back and play Ash and Perryman wide. Usually great kick Coniglio plays mid to forward. When he plays his best he is a great kick to the forward space. He doesn’t have to do anythin other than that

Thirdly keep Harry, Ricardi and Cameron forward and keep Tony mid to forward. Harry and Jeremy are pretty speedy.

And Finally hang back from the contest. They are all trying but not sure that they have faith in each other to do their job. They all feel obliged to take on all the roles to win a game. That is what Richmond started to change, after their many years of finishing ninth, and look at them now.

2020 was a wasted year, but let’s face it if your gonna suck in a year, this is the year.

Giants 2021

Form for the next seven rounds is all that counts. Getting on a roll at the back end of the season has always been a good predication. Even though the Port v Richmond was a cracker, Richmond still are a little shaky to me few times they were pretty lucky to be close. Don’t have the umpires subjected to the call of affirmation this year. I don’t think Port will win the big tough finals unless its played on their terms. Early tip for the GF; WCE v GWS

Jeremy Findlayson from back line (getting embarrassed by Buddy Franklin) to forward, in the Coleman top ten.

Add Sam Taylor he will be a star.

Maybe gone a little early but wish the General all the best. In 2017, his best year at the Giants. Patton was part of the forward line that included Cameron, who had an injury, and Lobb. In 2018 before his third knee he was just ok, and Lobb tried to help out. He was too slow, Himmelberg came in and it just didn’t look like he could hold his place for a while. He is such a good kick and a big man I hope he goes well, but he needs to be a little bit mobile. Unfortunately for Patton the Giants forwards were much better last year when they’re mobile, and Finlayson (Grand Final aside) became a revelation.

You guys have to let your Toby obsession go. He has done nothing here.It’s not even his arm. Seriously all you Tony haters are unbelievable, get a life

Toby Greene is fantastic. He is an out and out star. The guy loves pressure.
I also think he gets singled out. This week was a prime example. Why did he have to get referred to the tribunal only to get a fine? If the MRO thought it was bad enough why didn’t he just suspend him. Two weeks down to one, instead the MRO makes a circus has all the Melbourne media in a lather. Also what exactly was he accused of? He didn’t eye gouge, scratching the neck? Was it because of the look? What was he charged of.?!Hair pulling? Merret got 1000, vigorous throw into the ground? Nic Nat also got a thousand.
The studs up rule was created for him, other players were doing it for years. How many frees has Greene given away since the rule change. None. I tell you what if he moved to Richmond he would be the greatest player in the game.

That’s why the dogs lost

That’ll do me. MRO says there are a number of rough conduct charges, so many he can’t grade them all and has to send them to a tribunal. So do three low grades add up to one high grade? So I take it he gets more than a week. From the MRO statement it’s a please explain which is why he gets sent to the tribunal? How rubbish is that.

Great News for both GWS and Cogs. They got a lot off their list last year and have resigned lots. Think that Whitfield will sign a shorter contract and Jeremy Cameron, well that will be interesting. But for now Giants need to win 4 games!! Go Giants

Where do you live? Go to a kids game in the Hills. Giants shirts everywhere.

Good article. I agree and it happens sometimes throughout games. They sometimes spend 10 minutes mucking around and don’t keep the pressure up. I always think that Adam Tomlinson or Heath Shaw are good barometers for how the team are going during a game. Heath been more consistent this year, because he has had to do a lot of extra work, but when Adam plays well marks and comes back in defence than they seem to be playing well. When he’s not sighted then they tend to be fiddling around.
The mid field on Friday were too young. In one stage they had Caldwell, Bonar and Hately for a centre bounce against Smith, Windgard and Scully. The ball shot out to Hawthorn’s forward line like a cannon!
My other concern is how ready the second tier players are to step into AFL. NEAFL is not great, example check out the ladder. The Lions NEAFL team are undefeated.
Also what’s happened to Lachie Whitfield?

Sheil will have to improve his kicking.

Say he cocked the leg and lead with the knee. Ok with that?
What a load of sanctamonius claptrap. If the boot goes so must the knee. Penalise him on preventing a contest, not on raising the boot. If studs up is penalised every time than Jeremy Howe speculatar stuff should also be banned because it’s also studs to the head.
No one does it because they can’t get their leg up that high and balance.

Alex those injuries already happy with knees. Ask Phil Daivs (kneed by Buddy Franklin ruptures kidney) out for 2014, Tom Lonergan, kneed lost his kidney, Joel Patfull had to drive back from Melbourne to Sydney in 2015 after fracturing his ribs and getting a pneumothorax ( air in outside the lung but in the thoracic cavity) in a marking contest. The knee in the marking situation so dangerous.

Rubbish. If someone can fly for a mark and and knees someone and fractures a rib its OK. Greene is clearing his space to catch the ball. Neuman was unable to defend a smaller guy on one leg. How did about Neuman improve his defending technique. Greene wouldn’t try it on Richmond defenders, they would just push him out of the way and work him under the ball.

As a GWS supporter I am just so frustrated at the injuries. All year the defence has been our strong point, but on Sat the two most important players were out. The midfield were hammered in the second half. Gawn will kill the Giants. This year they looked their best with Simpson at ruck and Lobb relieving him. SImpson’s body let him down again!! No wonder he got to 29 with less than 50 games. It tough, but they need a more reliable ruckman. Lobb can’t play against adversity. He literally wilts, he has a great game than a poor game. How about having an average game.

The Shaw injury will hurts the most. Him and again Davis were taken out by their own man. C’mon really!!! Sheil cant play out an entire game so even with Kelly back I anticipate they will lose the next 2 games and be done. They should all go home and have a break, the club should literally offer Kelly millions and trade Sheil for draft picks. The team can only be judged by whats on the field, its like having a Ferrari in the garage, its no use if its in the bloody garage!

The Injuries are the whole club’s and players fault. From training to having a little bit of in game awareness. Professionalism in the off season, making sure the training tack grass is in good nick, the right in game management and the warm-up etc. The Giants are the most travelled club outside the Perth Clubs, so maybe that needs to be looked at.

I hate the Swans. This year 4-0 (including the two trial games)