Cam Mooney brands Israel Folau 'statue watching birds.'

GWS recruit Israel Folau has been told again he does not belong in the AFL, capping a wretched day for the under-strength Giants.

GREATER Western Sydney recruit Israel Folau has been told again he does not belong in the AFL, capping a wretched day for the under-strength Giants against Melbourne in Canberra.

The rugby league convert was slammed by Geelong premiership forward Cameron Mooney as the Giants were over-run by the wasteful Demons 11.18 (84) to 9.5 (59) in blustery conditions at Manuka Oval.

"All year I've been telling people to relax, it'll take time, but the more I watch the more I think, 'Israel, you're not for our game'," Mooney said on SEN Radio.

"He doesn't know how to compete. He doesn't know what to do out there. Right now, again, he is a statue watching the birds."

Folau did not get a possession in the first half, and finished with three - his first kick midway through the final quarter drawing a Bronx cheer from the crowd.

Giants coach Kevin Sheedy defended Folau after the match.

"It's taken a guy like (Sydney's Canadian Mike) Pyke four years. And everybody ... expects a person to be a superstar straight away," Sheedy said.

"It doesn't happen.

"Izzy cops a battering...he's still learning. I put him into the backline and he wasn't that bad."

The Giants' loss soured co-captain Luke Power's 300th game and all but guaranteed the club would claim the wooden spoon in its first year.

It was the Demons' first win away from Melbourne in more than a year.

"The majority of our players (today)... were averaging 60 games per player, which is extremely inexperienced," coach Mark Neeld said.

"We're aware that a lot of people who watch the game have seven-day goggles on, and writing about long-term plans is clearly not sexy.

"But we've certainly made some gains in the second half of the year. Our ball movement, our work at the clearances, is improving - as is the way that we're defending."

The Giants trailed by only two points when young gun Toby Greene (39 possessions) goaled in the fifth minute of the second quarter, but didn't add another until the sixth minute of the final term.

Demon Jack Watts made a successful return as the substitute, gathering 15 touches.

with AAP