AFLW 2023: Startling numbers reveal where GWS Giants are falling behind in season eight

The Giants’ 0-5 win-loss ratio is poor, but statistics from GWS final quarters in season eight are truly eye-popping.

The Giants have struggled to make inroads this AFLW season and sit on the bottom of the ladder. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images

The Giants’ disappointing start to the AFLW season has been laid bare by their startling record in fourth quarters this year.

Across their opening five games, the Giants have scored only one point in the final term in total – which came against Melbourne in round 2 at Manuka Oval.

In the same period, they have conceded 128 points. Their worst defensive final quarter was also against the Demons when they let in seven goals.

The shocking result stem from clear problems around stoppages. Their contested ball numbers drop off a cliff, their clearances disappear and it translates into less ball and fewer inside-50s.

At the halfway point of the season, the Giants are winless and are coming off a loss to North Melbourne in which they scored only two points for the entire match.

Giants star Alyce Parker concedes the side is frustrated things aren’t working on the field, but doesn’t believe the season is a write-off.

“We’ve really looked at concentration and fatigue and they kind of go hand-in-hand, that’s why we’ve had these bad patches come up in last quarters,” Parker said.

“If you look at the weekend, we’re disappointed with the scoreline and result, but you’ve got to measure things differently in order to get growth and change going forward. If you look at our last quarter, we were proud compared to last week.

“Any gains we can get at the moment is something we see as a win. But ultimately we’re not happy, we’re not content with 0-5.”

The talk out of the Giants in 2023 was that they were excited to put coach Cam Bernasconi’s new game plan into practice.

Injuries disrupted his first campaign in charge in season seven, but the side felt they were making progress heading into this year.

To a certain extent, they are. Their 69-point loss to the Crows was an improvement on their 96-point loss in season seven. It was a similar story in the margin of their defeat to Richmond.

A comprehensive defensive performance from the Kangaroos kept the Giants to just two behinds for the match. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images

While the schedule hasn’t been kind to the Giants this season, they’re not content with slowly moving in the right direction

“With such a short season, you can’t afford to be looking back,” Parker said.

“A really good thing about this group and what we do really well is we’re disappointed and we’re not content.

“The younger girls, I think four years ago a lot of them were content with just getting a game. But now they know they play a role and want to be part of a successful club.

“We don’t like to create that narrative where when we come up against good teams it’s OK if we lose. We’re not about that.

“There’s no better measure than ... when you come across the best teams at the moment.”

The pressure is on second-year coach Cam Bernasconi to turn things around. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images

This Saturday could prove the Giants’ best opportunity to register that first victory when they face West Coast at Blacktown.

It was a match-up they lost last year, but the Eagles have also struggled in 2023 and only picked up their first win in round 5.

“You’ve got to reflect, you can get learnings from the losses, but if you stay in that view you’re missing what’s in front of you,” Parker said.

“The match-up we had last year, we went in with a bit of complacency. We’ve got a lot of confidence from the weekend, we’ve changed things that weren’t working and we’re looking forward to taking that up to West Coast.”