GWS Giants overrun North Melbourne in slick second half to record 23-point victory in Hobart
Josh Kelly reminded North Melbourne exactly what they missed out on when he opted to re-sign with GWS rather than take their big-money offer as he and his teammates put the Kangaroos to the sword in Hobart.
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The man who knocked back a mega-deal to sign with North Melbourne powered Greater Western Sydney to a solid win in a feisty contest against the Kangaroos at Blundstone Arena on Sunday.
A month after the Giants locked away one of the most in-demand players in the AFL, ball magnet Josh Kelly engineered a much-needed victory as GWS rebounded from its loss to Adelaide on the road a week earlier.
Signing on for another two years, Kelly was untouchable in Hobart as he amassed 30 possessions, eight contested and five clearances in the Giants’ 23-point win in front of 7832 fans, the second-lowest attendance for an AFL match at Blundstone.
It was North Melbourne’s first loss since its 24-point loss to Geelong at the “Cattery” in Round 8, and first defeat for interim coach Rhyce Shaw.
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Goals deep into time-on to Ben Brown and Nick Larkey reduced the damage, but the Kangaroos’ run on the top eight came to a shuddering halt.
The Giants and Kangas could not be separated at half time but GWS raised the stakes in the second half and pulled away for a win that lifted them one spot on the ladder to second, swapping places with Collingwood.
The Kelly Gang dominated everywhere it matters, with Stephen Coniglio, Tim Taranto, Jacob Hopper and Zac Williams making sure GWS won clearances, stoppages, centre breaks, contested possession and inside 50s.
Toby Greene, who missed the Adelaide loss with a knee injury, but was back for the Tasmanian road trip and joined the masterclass.
While it took little time for Jack Ziebell to welcome him to Kanga country, sitting him on his butt in the opening 40 seconds, Greene had the last laugh.
He gathered 20 possessions and three goals — his third also being his 150th career major — lining up as the Giants’ man inside the 10m square with occasional forays upfield.
At the other end, code-jumper Jake Stein’s switch from Australian Commonwealth Games decathlete to AFL player was complete, starting as the Giants’ third tall down back.
Stein was sent to Mason Wood and made sure the Kangaroo had a stinker (five touches, no goals).
North Melbourne’s Tasmanian connection worked, with Ben Brown kicking 2.3 from 10 possessions and six marks, and Tassie teenager Tarryn Thomas booting 2.1 from 12 possessions, nine contested, and showing signs of things to come.
Brown will be assessed for an ankle/foot injury on Monday.
Shaun Atley and Marley Williams did their best to boost the Kangas onball, and Robbie Tarrant may have been low-key but was outstanding in containing danger man Jeremy Cameron to one goal.
Ziebell may draw attention in the match review for throwing out a foot that tripped Harry Himmelberg in the second quarter, and a head clash between Luke McDonald and Matt de Boer, also in the second term, may come under scrutiny.
BROWN IN MATCH REVIEW STRIFE
Ben Brown added two goals to his Coleman Medal tally but he also went into the book for a Giant strike on Matt Buntine in the second quarter of their loss to GWS in Hobart.
The incident angered the Greater Western Sydney defenders, who scrapped with Brown, and the towering Tasmanian’s actions will be looked at closely in the match review.
Kangas coach Rhyce Shaw said Brown was handy but kicked an uncharacteristically wayward 2.3.
“I didn’t see it (the incident), I just heard that he might have gotten cited,” Shaw said.
It was his first loss as senior coach after taking over from Brad Scott three weeks ago.
The timing was particularly poor, given his brother Heath Shaw played for GWS and their father Ray was in the stands to watch the family stoush.
“It’s never a great feeling to lose,” Rhyce said.
“He (dad) come into the rooms to visit.
“It’s obviously hard for them with me coaching North Melbourne and Heath playing for GWS.
“I’m pretty sure he’d be up and about in the GWS rooms.”
North Melbourne’s backline drew praise for keeping the scores even in the first half despite GWS winning clearances 30-19, centre breaks 8-4, stoppages 22-15 and inside 50s 28-23.
“Our defence stood up pretty well in the first half and when the ball went inside our 50m the forwards were able to score, so that’s something we can hang our hats on,” Shaw said.
After winning his first two games at the helm, defeat left a bitter taste in the mouth.
“I’m pretty disappointed,” Shaw said.
“I am also optimistic about where we are going.
“We’ve got nine games after the bye to really do something and I don’t see any reason why we can’t.
“We lost tonight but there are still signs we can still do something in the second half of the year.”
PERFECT BYE TIMING FOR ‘BANGED UP’ GIANTS
The bye could not have come for a better time for Greater Western Sydney with coach Leon Cameron saying his men were so “banged up” after Sunday’s 23-point win over the Kangaroos in Hobart it will take three days for them to recover.
Onballer Matt De Boer is among the worst for wear, copping a head knock in the second quarter before retiring from the game late in the third after damaging his shoulder.
The win elevated GWS one spot to second on the ladder at the expense of Collingwood.
The Giants have a week off before their third consecutive road trip, this time to meet Essendon at Marvel Stadium on Thursday-week.
“We’re 9-4 and a little bit banged up at the moment, a bit like everyone coming it to the bye,” Cameron said.
“Everyone likes to have that bye and we need a bit of a spell.
“Ours is a short bye – we’ve got 10 days before we play Essendon at Marvel on a Thursday night.
“This was a really physical game so our guys are going to need 48 to 72 hours to get over this game.
“North plays a physical brand and we do as well. We need to recover well and get back on deck.”
De Boer will have scans on his shoulder in Sydney on Monday.
“Just before three quarter-time he was a bit sore in the shoulder and we didn’t want to risk him,” Cameron said.
“He played Ben Cunnington really well. He’s a quality inside player so we’ll look over the next 48 hours to see where he is at and hopefully there’s not too much damage.
“Like we’ve done for the past couple of years, if some player doesn’t come up for the next week an opportunity arises for another player.”
Cameron said there was a lot of water to go under the bridge before he was happy with the Giants.
“Everyone wants to be round that top four mark because you’re trying to shuffle for spots,” he said.
“We know we’ve got a fair bit of work to do to continue to learn to win on the road.
“We’re five at home and four on the road, which is a good ratio but we’ve got another one on the road in 10 days.”
Cameron attributed the Giants second half dominance to its tackle count.
“To have 90 tackles against a side that tackles really well was really pleasing and that second half made the difference,” he said.
BEST PLAYERS
GWS: Kelly, Coniglio, Taranto, Hopper, Greene, Mumford, Stein.
NM: Tarrant, McDonald, Williams, Atley, Thomas, Goldstein.
VOTES
3 Kelly (GWS)
2 Coniglio (GWS)
1 Greene (GWS)
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Originally published as GWS Giants overrun North Melbourne in slick second half to record 23-point victory in Hobart
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