AFL: GWS Giants ‘embarrassed’ after midfield thrashing by Western Bulldogs

GWS Giants’ greatest weapon has become one of its greatest failings, with damning statistics revealing how badly the club’s midfield was exposed by Western Bulldogs.

The Giants are set to demand a change in mindset and improved physicality around the contest this weekend after an “embarrassing” midfield performance in their loss to the Western Bulldogs.

On the back of a firing Marcus Bontempelli, the Bulldogs dominated the stoppages in Canberra during their 32-point win. They ended up with 22 more clearances than the Giants, the third-worst return in GWS’s history.

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Luke Beveridge’s side was also particularly potent at turning that advantage into scoreboard pressure, scoring 55 points from clearances alone. It’s the third-most points conceded from clearance by the Giants since Adam Kingsley took over at the start of 2023.

Marcus Bontempelli looked a class above as the Western Bulldogs ran over the top of the Giants. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Former Saints midfielder Leigh Montagna labelled the Giants’ midfield as a “myth” following the result on Fox Footy, in particular calling out the lack of depth they have in the position. Fellow panellist David King also labelled ruckman Kieren Briggs as “non-competitive” and a “poor commodity” after being dominated by Tim English.

Kingsley lamented his side’s lethargic efforts during the second half in Canberra, and while the Giants don’t believe the outside noise will impact them, they echoed their coach’s frustrations on Tuesday.

“It’s quite embarrassing to go out there and play the way we did,” Toby Bedford said.

“The boys were pretty filthy with how we played as well, so hopefully we go out there this weekend and bounce back really quickly.

“A lot of it was based around our contest. We just didn’t play the game we normally play. We’re obviously a physical team. We love to pressure. We love to tackle. And that just wasn’t there on the weekend.

“We don’t really pay attention to the outside noise … it’s just more embarrassing that we went out there and put those numbers up.

“I think it is an easy fix. Over the past two years, we’ve been a really good contest team. We’ve just got to get back to doing what we need to do. It’s obviously just a mindset thing. So, we need to switch our mindset. Because we all know we’re capable of doing it.”

Bedford got on the scoreboard but felt the Giants were “embarrassed” by their overall showing against the Western Bulldogs. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

While their stoppage and midfield work clearly needs to find another level against the Swans on Sunday afternoon, the Giants are also aware that it’s a team-wide issue that is currently affecting them.

They might have lost the clearance battle against the Dogs, but other facets of their game, in particular their transition out of defence, have been well down on their previous levels.

It’s why they want to apply a focus to finding improvement across the ground and not just laying the blame squarely on one of their lines. They also believe that it will be the best method to get back to being the premiership-contender they know they can be.

“We’re a team that prides itself on having a finals’ brand DNA,” Jesse Hogan said. “We just didn’t get it done.

“(The Bulldogs are) extremely good in the midfield on paper, so are we. It doesn’t come down to one facet, it’s not just our mids, forwards or backs who let us down. There’s multiple reasons we didn’t get the job done.

Fox Footy analyst Leigh Montana claimed that the Giants midfield is a “myth” after several below-par performances in 2025. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“We got smacked around the ball a little bit in the third. I’m not sure how many entries we had, but I think the supply was down a little bit. Then later in the game, when we did have a few entries, I feel like we did score. Once the Bulldogs had momentum, we weren’t able to wrestle that back … that put the game out of reach.

“I think our midfield has shown over the last 12 to 18 months that they’re a top-eight midfield, (even) top-four. The talent they have there and the toughness that they show is there. So, you know, it’s going to be a good challenge this weekend.”

A key focus is to return to the orange tsunami brand of play that has served them well in recent years. Kingsley’s side has shown it in patches this year, but overall, they’re quite far away from the heights of their run to the 2023 preliminary final.

Finding speed through the midfield and in transition is set to be key to that form returning. And the Giants know that if they can find more avenues to get the ball out of their defensive 50, that will help them in the long run.

Pressure and contest is at the core of what the Giants do, and they know they need to improve this weekend in the Sydney Derby. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“We’ve been pretty poor at moving the ball,” Bedford said.

“It’s not just the midfield role, we’re a team, so we need to lock in on our roles and get back to doing our best.

“I think when we’re playing our best, we’re all on the same page. We’re a team and we gel really well.

“At the moment, we haven’t been playing our best football. So, we’ll work on things this week and hopefully get back to doing our best.”

Originally published as AFL: GWS Giants ‘embarrassed’ after midfield thrashing by Western Bulldogs