GWS Giants, Sydney Swans news: Huge interest from rival clubs in Jacob Hopper
Jacob Hopper exploded with 35 disposals and 11 clearances against Richmond — and Victorian clubs hoping to poach him at the end of the season took notice.
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Emerging GWS star Jacob Hopper has massive rival interest as he ponders loyalty to the Giants or a move away from the club.
The Giants were thrilled to sign up Brent Daniels this week but the club’s contract issues are never far from the spotlight.
On Thursday GWS appointed restricted free agent Josh Kelly as stand-in skipper as he considers his own future.
Hopper, who boarded at St Patrick’s and grew up in the Riverina town of Leeton, has been happy to wait until later in the year to put together a big block of football before considering his future, and has perfectly timed his run.
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Averaging 27 possessions this year, he exploded for 35 possessions, 11 clearances, seven score involvements and seven coaches votes against Richmond.
GWS believes it is building something special with its young, tight-knit squad and band of improving youngsters, but Hopper would have his choice of Victorian clubs if he wanted to leave.
The likely outcome is Hopper will remain at the Giants after having secured a pay rise reflective of his stays as one of the most improved midfielders in the competition.
Hopper and Kelly are the club’s priority signings, with the club’s cap squeeze eased after the departures of Jeremy Cameron, Zac Williams, Jackson Hately and Jye Caldwell.
Kelly is out of contract at season’s end, albeit with an attractive eight-year extension option ready for him to take up with the Giants if he wishes.
He is also genuinely undecided about his future.
GWS coach Leon Cameron said Kelly was the best man for the captaincy in the absence of Stephen Coniglio (ankle) and Toby Greene (fractured shoulder), and he had faith he would re-sign.
“He’s the best person to captain our football club right now. He’s the standout. Whether that’s in contract or out of contract is irrelevant to me,” Cameron said.
“The great confidence that I have in Josh is that he’s been here for eight years, I’m confident he’ll be here for a long, long time at our footy club.
“But that doesn’t come into play when you’re looking at your best leader for this weekend’s game and next weekend until some guys return. He’s the best person for the job.”
Cameron said it was an exciting opportunity for Kelly.
“He’s got to stick to what he knows and he’s got to be himself. It was a bit of a no-brainer for us,” Cameron said.
“The good thing about it is his unbelievable, selfless approach over the last six or seven weeks when we’ve been down on numbers and he’s been filling in different positions. He plays mid, he plays wing, he plays high half-forward, and yet his performances have been first-class.
“That’s the sort of player we’re talking about and that’s the sort of reason why it was an easy decision.”
DATA REVEALS SECRET TO DEAD-EYE SWANS
— Marc McGowan
The finals-bound Sydney Swans would be outside the top eight looking in if goalkicking in their games this year had gone as predicted.
Champion Data’s ‘expected scores’ ladder provides contrasting revelations for the Swans and Giants, the two clubs that have bucked the system as much as any other.
John Longmire’s deadeye Sydney sits comfortably inside the top eight in sixth spot, with a two-game buffer over Leon Cameron’s ninth-ranked Greater Western Sydney.
However, the AFL’s official number-cruncher says the Giants could be in fourth spot and the Swans way down in 10th, under the expected scores formula.
The data is calculated on a decade’s worth of matches, based on if each player kicked at goal to the AFL average in the same spot on the ground under the same amount of opposition pressure.
Two matches each this year have reversed the two Sydney clubs’ potential fortunes.
On expected scores, the Swans should have lost their Round 2 match against Adelaide by one point, instead of winning by 33 points, and their Round 7 game to Geelong.
They kicked three of the last four goals to pip the wayward Cats by two points that day – booting 14.6 to 12.16 – when the statistics say Geelong could have celebrated a 35-point victory.
Even with that setback, the Cats were expected to be in fifth spot on the ladder instead of their lofty perch in third.
GWS was already reeling after twice giving up matchwinning positions in the second half against Richmond on Saturday night.
That was one of two losses the Giants were expected to come out on top in, with the data suggesting they should have edged out the Tigers by one point instead of losing by four.
They were 28 points up midway through the third quarter before Richmond launched rearguard action.
The other was the Round 1 defeat to St Kilda in the wet at Giants Stadium, which set in motion a 0-3 start that put GWS’ finals hopes immediately in danger.
Based on the goalkicking opportunities, Champion Data expected the Giants to beat the Saints by 12 points, but they suffered an eight-point loss.
There are no changes at the pointy end of the ladder, with top-two sides Melbourne and Western Bulldogs exactly where they are supposed to be.
Elsewhere, Fremantle would climb into eighth, the Tigers would slip to ninth and a plucky Essendon would plummet from 12th to 17th.
NEW DEAL: WHY ‘BINGA’ FELL IN LOVE WITH GIANTS
The country boy known as ‘Binga’ has committed to four more years in Australia’s most bustling city.
Brent Daniels – a key piece of Greater Western Sydney’s forward line – has followed Giants teammates Toby Greene, Lachie Ash and Lachie Keeffe in inking a fresh deal.
Josh Kelly and Jacob Hopper remain the club’s most coveted out-of-contract players.
Daniels’ new four-year contract removes any doubt about his playing future, after there was some rival interest in the Geelong Grammar and Bendigo Pioneers graduate.
“I’m a country bloke, I’ve always considered myself to be pretty loyal and the club’s given me every opportunity to succeed,” Daniels told The Daily Telegraph.
“I thought it was the right time to do it and I really like the direction we’re going in and have made some great mates up here.
“I’m really starting to love Sydney and make some great connections, so I didn’t have any reason to leave.”
Daniels, 22, is one of a large number of prominent Giants who are sidelined, with a second left hamstring injury for the year set to keep him out until about Round 14.
He was annoyed to suffer another soft-tissue setback, after that not being a problem in the past, but was even more emotive about superstar teammate Toby Greene’s right shoulder fracture.
“It’s shattering, because he’s been in unbelievable form and is so important for us,” Daniels said.
“But as much as it sucks at the time, it gives others a chance to play and we have a really young team at the moment.”
Daniels tipped four-gamer Conor Stone as the potential beneficiary of Greene’s misfortune, but also suggested midfielder Tim Taranto’s forward time could spike in the absence of the gun goalkicker.
Either way, Daniels – a keen fisherman and golfer – was bullish about GWS returning to the finals for the first time since their 2019 Grand Final defeat.
The enthusiasm of the lightly played youngsters who’ve helped resurrect the Giants’ season in the past six weeks was “infectious”, he said.
“I see no reason we can’t play finals footy,” Daniels said.
“We had a down year last year, but we’ve played some really good footy this season and only let ourselves down in a couple of games.
“We play a really good brand that stands up (against the best teams), so who knows what might happen when we get there?”
‘DOESN’T BOTHER ME’: SHOULD GREENE REPLACE COGS?
Stephen Coniglio rates Toby Greene one of the best three players in the AFL but is unfazed about external commentators calling for his star teammate to replace him as Giants captain.
Greene stood in as Greater Western Sydney’s skipper from rounds four to nine after Coniglio suffered a serious syndesmosis setback on his right ankle in a loss to Melbourne.
Further scans revealed Coniglio also sustained a torn ligament on his big toe on the same foot, with another month of recovery ahead that will extend his stint out to at least 10 weeks.
Greene fractured his right shoulder in the four-point loss to Richmond on Saturday night and will be out for a month, meaning one of Josh Kelly, Lachie Whitfield or Jacob Hopper will be interim captain.
The Giants have won four of the six matches without Coniglio and should have beaten the Tigers, too, given they had a 28-point lead midway through the third quarter.
Coniglio said Greene’s leadership and on-field performances in his absence were “phenomenal” and it would “hurt not having him there”.
“He’s one of my best mates and we chat every day, but it’s been all him … it’s been a really good six weeks at the club,” Coniglio said.
“To see his progression, not as a player – he’s always been an amazing player – but as a leader and what he’s been able to contribute for the club, has just been really good to see.
“People outside of the club can say what they want; it definitely doesn’t bother me. I’ve had people say things about me or the club before, and more than Toby and myself, we just want to win for the footy club.
“Whoever is captain or whatever it is, it doesn’t matter.”
Coniglio’s injury blow came in the same game ex-skipper Phil Davis and Matt de Boer also sustained long-term setbacks, and GWS has been significantly understrength all season.
The star midfielder resumed running on Tuesday but was hesitant to target an exact return game.
As for the questioning of Coniglio’s leadership, he said he had become “pretty good at just blocking it out”.
“You learn over time, and as you mature, the people you want to or need to listen to,” he said.
“For me, it’s all about positivity. Me personally, coming back and recovering, I’m really trying to remain present and the boys are winning, so it doesn’t really matter.
“I’m really proud of some of the things I’m seeing from afar.”
BRAVE GREENE PLAYED WITH BUSTED SHOULDER
The Giants will be without important duo Toby Greene and Harry Perryman for the next month ahead of a season-defining fortnight against West Coast and Brisbane.
The club confirmed on Monday morning that Greene sustained a shoulder fracture in the
third quarter of Saturday night’s narrow loss to Richmond.
The 27-year-old, who has kicked 22 goals in nine games this year, played out the match before undergoing scans on Sunday that revealed the major blow to Greater Western Sydney’s finals chances.
Perryman exited the Tigers clash in the same term with a hamstring injury and was subbed out for teenager Tanner Bruhn.
Giants medical boss Cullan Ball was hopeful Perryman, who has already been sidelined by glandular fever this year, could return after the Round 12 bye to face North Melbourne on June 13.
GWS has consistently lost key contributors this season, with fullback Lachie Keeffe having a knee reconstruction in Melbourne last week after going down late in the Round 8 win over Essendon.
The Giants resurrected their season after a 0-3 start, but the four-point defeat to the Tigers at the weekend could prove hugely costly after leading by 28 points midway through the third quarter.
This is where I think Toby Greene broke his shoulder. At the ground it looked a free kick, and now it does too. Geez he’s stiff sometimes @3AWisfootballpic.twitter.com/lo010t1a4n
— Jacqui Reed (@JacquiReed_) May 17, 2021
A Daniel Rioli snap deep into the final term capped three straight Richmond goals to end the contest, after the undermanned Giants won four of their past five matches.
Leon Cameron’s side would have replaced the Tigers in the top eight if it had hung on, but now faces the prospect of going into the mid-season bye with a 4-7 record.
The Giants will regain Jeremy Finlayson from suspension, while defenders Nick Haynes and Sam Reid could return from hamstring setbacks this week if they pass respective fitness tests.
Captain Stephen Coniglio and fellow senior regulars Brent Daniels, Phil Davis, Adam Kennedy and Matt de Boer and ruck recruit Braydon Preuss also remain out.
Originally published as GWS Giants, Sydney Swans news: Huge interest from rival clubs in Jacob Hopper
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