GWS Giants defender Lachie Whitfield reflects on 2024 season and potential All-Australian selection
He’s not a secret but, as a teammate puts it, Lachie Whitfield would be ‘shone in a different light’ if he played in another state. The GWS star opens up to LACHLAN McKIRDY.
AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Stephen Coniglio is under no illusions. If Jesse Hogan’s sizes have already been taken for an All-Australian blazer, the tailors may as well save the extra trip and take Lachie Whitfield’s measurements as well.
“I’d hope both of those guys are in the All-Australian team,” Coniglio said. “They deserve it.
“They’ve been so consistent all year, especially Lachie. Just how consistent he’s been off the half-back line for us.
“We’re talking about someone who if he were in Melbourne or another big footy state, he’d be maybe shone in a different light.”
In 2024, Whitfield is ranked elite for disposals, metres gained, marks and score involvements. His ability to marshall Greater Western Sydney’s attack is second to none and he has put together the best season of his career in a Giants team on the verge of a historic top-two finish.
Typically, Whitfield has never been one to sing his own praises. But as the accumulator in one of the best defences in the competition, he knows that if he’s in the spotlight it’s only because of what has been done around him.
“I love playing with my boys down in the back line,” Whitfield said.
“I think we’ve just got a super good balance of winning the ball back with the taller guys and then being able to rebound the ball with Harry (Himmelberg) and (Lachie) Ashy and Connor (Idun).
“We obviously defend first but then can rebound hard. And I think when we’re rebounding the ball with pace, that’s when we playing our best footy as a full team.
“I’m just happy to be a cog in the machine back there. We’ve all been playing together for a handful of years now, so we’ve just got really good chemistry.”
Whitfield is no stranger to the honour having received the prestigious blazer in 2018. But the focus for the 30-year-old has always been winning that elusive premiership and confidence is growing this could be the season following a seven-match winning streak during the run home to finals.
Despite falling out of the top eight two months ago, the Giants always believed their best would be good enough. It just took a bit of time for it to show on the field.
“I feel like this is what we expect of ourselves,” Whitfield said. “Last year we were just riding on the good energies and with good freedom and fun and nothing to lose. Whereas this year, we know what we expect from ourselves, and we’ve been able to deliver on that for seven games in a row.
“We’ve been able to win these close games, so we’re showing some really good maturity when it comes to closing out games and making sure that we stick to our systems at the right stage.
“There’s a certainty that we can trust each other to play out the full 120 minutes, and whether we do fall behind in games or have a lead, regardless, we’re not going to change the way we play. We always feel like we’re in the game.”
The orange tsunami has been at the forefront of what the Giants have done best yet again. But even against the Dockers last weekend, the warning signs were there that they have to find the right balance.
An overreliance on handballing during the second quarter welcomed Fremantle back into the game. With so much speed moving forward, unleashing the likes of Darcy Jones and Brent Daniels is understandably a priority.
While that also gives Whitfield more space and freedom to roam, that eagerness to play ‘Giants footy’ can sometimes become their hubris. They’ve proven they can adapt on the fly during their winning streak, but he knows it’s not something they can just fall back on during finals. That challenge starts with a showdown against long-time rivals, and according to Whitfield, the most “in-form team” in the AFL: the Western Bulldogs.
“When you can play with speed and you have different avenues to move the ball, it gives the opposition a headache of how to stop that at times,” Whitfield said.
“It’s a bit of a double-edged sword because I think we’re leading the competition in handball metres gained and it is our biggest weapon, but it can also damage us with overuse the other way.
“In the first quarter, I think we only had 50 handball metres gained so we were asking for more. And then during that second quarter, it bit us in the butt a bit. But in the second half, we were able to get it right.
“So, we are multifaceted, and that’s why we’re a good team. But it’s still not perfect, we still haven’t put together a full four-quarter performance. We’re still hanging out for that, and we can find that in the right game in finals.”
Originally published as GWS Giants defender Lachie Whitfield reflects on 2024 season and potential All-Australian selection
Secret behind Geelong’s incredible rookie strike rate
Geelong’s recruiting has been lauded for finding diamonds in the rough to keep the Cats at the top of the ladder. Zach Guthrie tells JOSH BARNES Geelong’s development teams deserves just as much credit.
‘This is what you live for’: Ashcroft born for the big stage
Will Ashcroft has destined for the big stage from a young age. The young Lion opens up to CALLUM DICK on his dad’s influence, dealing with pressure and Brisbane’s premiership dream.