Hugley depleted GWS Giants battle to victory against West Coast Eagles

THE GWS Giants have pulled off their bravest victory ever with a pulsating eight-point win over West Coast in Perth despite the absence of several star players.

Harrison Himmelberg marks against the Eagles. Picture: AAP

THE GWS Giants have pulled off their bravest victory ever with a pulsating eight-point win over West Coast in Perth.

The Giants are quickly becoming the best closers in the AFL, pulling ahead after an incredible eight lead changes in the final quarter.

It was the Giants’ first win against the Eagles in six years of trying, and came with 10 of their best players sitting on the sidelines.

The desperate shortage of fit bodies became even more acute when Tom Scully was a late withdrawal with knee soreness.

It didn’t stop the gutsy Giants, who just still found a way to win.

It was their fourth close game in a row after last week’s thriller against Richmond, a three-point win over Collingwood and a two-point win over the Western Bulldogs in round six.

Tim Taranto celebrates a goal against the Eagles. Picture: Getty Images

Two brilliant last-quarter goals from Toby Greene sealed the deal and enhanced his ever growing reputation.

The first came from a mark outside 50 and the second on the run from the most acute of angles.

There were a host of GWS heroes but none bigger than Shane Mumford who dominated the ruck with 50 hit outs and helped his team to a massive advantage in the clearances (53-32).

Josh Kelly, Callan Ward, Dylan Shiel, and Lachie Whitfield were all the beneficiaries of his work and stuck to the task when the Eagles looked to have the upper hand.

Kelly confirmed his rise to the AFL’s elite with another polished 29 possession display including 11 contested.

The Giants have an almighty battle to keep Kelly away from North Melbourne and their monster offer, but he might just win a premiership for them before he has to make a decision.

Kelly is now on the fifth line of Brownlow Medal betting at $21.

The Giants celebrate their win over the Eagles on Sunday.Picture: AAP

The Eagles hadn’t been beaten at home this year and were coming off a horror 10-goal loss the Essendon.

A serious injury to their leading goal kicker Josh Kennedy added more pain to the loss.

He kicked three second half goals and looked like the biggest danger to GWS until he limped from the ground in the last term.

At the other end of the ground the Giants shared their goals around with Jeremy Cameron, Jonathon Patton, Greene and Shiel all with two.

Their forward line looked far more efficient as they made the most of their winning 56-43 inside 50 count.

The full Giants injury list includes Scully, Steve Johnson (knee), Rory Lobb (hip), Stephen Coniglio (ankle), Nick Haynes (hamstring), Jacob Hopper (finger), Ryan Griffen (ankle), Brett Deledio (calf), Matt Buntine (knee) and Adam Kennedy (knee)

The Giants also had only three listed players in their reserves team in their NEAFL match against NT Thunder when they were forced to bring Dawson Simpson and Isaac Cumming as emergencies.

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 2.4 4.7 8.12 14.14 (98) WEST COAST 5.0 6.2 9.3 14.6 (90) Goals: Greater Western Sydney: D Shiel 2 J Cameron 2 J Patton 2 T Greene 2 D Lloyd H Himmelberg J Kelly L Whitfield T Taranto Z Williams. West Coast: J Kennedy 3 J Darling 2 L Jetta 2 N Vardy 2 D Petrie J Cripps M Hutchings M Karpany S Mitchell.

Best: Greater Western Sydney: J Kelly D Shiel T Greene C Ward S Mumford Z Williams. West Coast: J McGovern S Mitchell L Jetta E Yeo S Hurn.

Umpires: Mathew Nicholls, Dean Margetts, Craig Fleer.

Official Crowd: 37,057 at Domain Stadium

Originally published as Hugley depleted GWS Giants battle to victory against West Coast Eagles