AFL Round 23 GWS v Fremantle: All the news and analysis has the Giants hold on in a thriller

Make no mistake, writes LACHLAN MCKIRDY, after what happened at Engie Stadium on Saturday afternoon, the Giants should now be premiership favourites. Here’s why.

Lachlan McKirdy

@LMcKirdy7

3 min read

August 17, 2024 - 4:58PM

News Sport Network

AFL

Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.

Make no mistake. The GWS Giants should now be considered the premiership favourites.

In a season where consistency has been thrown out the window and no result ever feels guaranteed, the Giants’ past three weeks of footy is as good a form line as you want.

They overran the high-flying Hawks who had been taking scalps left, right and centre. They ended the nine-game winning streak of last year’s grand finalists, Brisbane. And now, they’ve gone toe-to-toe with the midfield masters, Fremantle, and come out on top after their nine-point win on Saturday afternoon.

Each game they were pushed to the brink. And in the finals-like moments, their experienced players stood tall and got them over the line.

Brent Daniels was the start on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Adam Kingsley’s side didn’t have it all their own way and looked frenetic in patches. But their ability to adapt on the run and some moments of grandeur from their forward line proved the difference as the Dockers’ season of promise continued to sink like an anchor under the orange tsunami.

It was the Brent Daniels show early as the Giants’ diminutive forward lit up Engie Stadium. He was breaking free of attempted Fremantle tags and was the most dangerous player on the field.

He had 15 disposals, seven tackles, six score involvements, five clearances and two goals to his name by the main break. His efficiency was in stark contrast to Coleman Medal leader Jesse Hogan who had kicked four behinds by halftime. But he wouldn’t be denied his time as the game progressed.

The early passages looked like the orange tsunami would reign supreme. A crisp handball chain at the start of the second quarter led by Finn Callaghan that moved the ball from the back pocket to the forward line in seconds would have sounded warning bells for Justin Longmuir’s side.

But the Giants’ fundamental skills, much like they have at various stages throughout this year, let them down. Poor kicks out of their defensive half and some sloppy free kicks gave the Dockers a path to the lead.

Patrick Voss had a few heated moments with Lachie Ash. Picture: Jason McCawley/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

Fremantle opened up a 15-point gap when Sam Switkowski kicked his first. Only a piece of individual brilliance from Toby Greene just before the main break kept the margin within two goals.

The only way to describe the Giants’ ball movement was chaotic. There was an overemphasis on handball chains when getting the ball forward quickly was working.

Hogan got his third of the day when he was unopposed on the goal square, while Darcy Jones’s banana from the pocket finally put the home side back into the lead halfway through the third term. Another long kick to a contest saw Hogan crumb and kick his fourth, the change had been made and the Giants finally realised what was proving more damaging.

Against the best stoppage team in the competition, Tom Green helped turn the tide in the Giants’ favour with 13 disposals, eight contested possessions and three clearances.

They took an eight-point lead into the final term, an important margin considering they had never been run down in 2024 when up at the last break. An early goal to Greene extended that margin even further.

The ball then ping-ponged between the forward lines as the team traded goals. In the space of a couple of minutes, the lead fluctuated between eight points, to three, back to nine before Caleb Serong brought it back to three points again.

Tom Green and Michael Frederick collide. Picture: Phil Hillyard

But the Giants’ motto is never surrender as they willed their way over the line. A Callan Ward goal, an epic rundown tackle from Jones on the much bigger Luke Jackson and Hogan’s sixth goal of the day sealed their seventh victory in a row.

Despite a lull in the middle of the season, it’s a big, big sound in Western Sydney. The Giants are close to locking up a top-two spot and with potentially a double-home advantage in their pocket, they’re ready to go one better than last year’s preliminary final heartache.