Selflessness of GWS’s three-pronged tall forward line has the Giants firing in season 2019
Greater Western Sydney’s forward line has a different look to it this season and the change has paid off, with Jeremy Cameron, Harry Himmelberg and Jeremy Finlayson in great form. Here’s what sets them apart from the rest of the competition.
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They’re the attacking weapons striving to fire the GWS Giants to a first flag and the man charged with making them even deadlier has some bad news for opposition defences.
Jeremy Cameron, Jeremy Finlayson and Harry Himmelberg are all in blistering form for the orange and charcoal, kicking both goals and defenders’ backsides in equal measure.
And if one isn’t hitting the target on a given day, it’s a sure thing that one of the others is stepping up to the plate.
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As the Giants prepare to tackle Gold Coast, GWS forwards coach Brad Miller gives The Saturday Telegraph a unique insight into the trio.
“What’s probably been the most rewarding thing to see as a coach is their selflessness and their willingness to want to do things for each other,” Miller said. “It’s not in every forward. Sometimes they want to be ‘the man’ all the time. But with these guys their willingness to help each other makes them play better as a unit.
“We’ve now got three who’ve all kicked over 15 goals. They’ve each taken that turn when it comes their way. They haven’t been too over eager to chase it.”
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BRAD MILLER ON …
JEREMY CAMERON:
“Jeremy’s work rate is enormous. The amount of ground that he covers in a game makes it really hard for opposition defenders to play on him and stick with him for four quarters.
“He is a humble, selfless player. If he feels like his best chance to influence the game is getting up the ground this week and sacrificing being the focal point in front of goals, he’s more than prepared to do that. He’s leading the Coleman but there’s been match-ups he’s had that he’s sensed an opportunity that they’re going to stop him from getting inside 50, so he’s going to do all his work up between the arcs and he’s been able to do that and do it willingly.
“I think Jeremy’s right in his prime, physically but it’s more the maturity. Now he senses moments in game a lot better, prepares really well. All those things make him a better player than he was four or five years ago.”
JEREMY FINLAYSON:
“He’s always been a prestigious talent. Every now and then at training he’s done something which shows unbelievable athleticism or taken the game on with his speed, taken a huge mark.
“The transition going from back to forward this year has refreshed him. He’s got this thirst for ‘how do I get better’, how do I learn this new position.
“That’s put him in a really good space where everything’s new and fresh and he’s in with a new group of six teammates that are teaching him the game, where to run and are communicating with him.”
HARRY HIMMELBERG:
“Harry got his reward on the weekend on the scoreboard but in the first 10 rounds he’s probably been our most selfless player in the forward line.
“The amount of times where he will block for a teammate or knocks the ball on. They don’t always result in goals but they get noticed among the forward group. The amount of times he takes a mark in the pocket, the first thing he’s thinking is how can I square this ball up, he’s thinking about how can I make my teammate better.
“It doesn’t always result in him walking off the ground with five or six goals but he’s been a more than solid contributor in that sense.”
GWS GOALS IN 2019
Jeremy Cameron: 33
Jeremy Finlayson: 22
Harry Himmelberg: 15
Originally published as Selflessness of GWS’s three-pronged tall forward line has the Giants firing in season 2019
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