GWS Giants forced to consider plan B after ‘orange tsunami’ fails test in Sydney derby

GWS Giants’ Sydney derby thrashing has left Adam Kingsley with plenty to ponder — including what happens when the club’s famed ‘orange tsunami’ fails.

While the Giants are still confident their orange tsunami game plan is unbeatable on its day, Saturday’s loss to the Swans was an important reminder of the need for a Plan B.

Adam Kingsley’s men make no secret of the fact they want to be known for their fast ball movement and lethal transition footy. The large tsunami warning siren that sounds before every home game gives their opposition the heads up as well.

But in the wet against Sydney, they were found wanting. They were well down on their average number of handballs and dropped 10 per cent on their usual disposal efficiency.

It was also a credit to the Swans as they shut down key transition weapon Lachie Whitfield with the ball essentially living in the Giants’ defensive half.

“I think we probably didn’t test them enough ourselves,” Lachie Ash said.

“James Jordon did a pretty good job on Whitters (Whitfield), he’s been on fire this year. But we didn’t take enough risks with our ball movement like we usually do.

“We probably went into our shell a little bit and we didn’t put them under enough pressure.”

Ash and the Giants’ best runners were well corralled by the Swans. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

“There was a bit of shooting ourselves in the foot in that sense,” Josh Kelly added. “It’s a good learning lesson in being able to understand that teams are going to be wary of how we want to move the footy.

“We’re not always going to get it on our own terms and we’re not always going to execute the tsunami to absolute perfection. So understanding what we do in those situations and how we counteract that a little bit is probably the thing we look at the most.”

The wet weather naturally contributed to the rhythm of the game, with the Swans able to adapt quicker to the torrential conditions. But there’s no hiding the fact that against Sydney, and in their other loss of the season to Carlton, the Giants’ strengths completely disappeared.

The Swans’ ability to always create a contest up forward made it hard for the Giants to generate any quick transition. Picture: Matt King/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

In games GWS has won in 2024, they are +11.2 for contested possessions. In their two losses, that average drops to -25. It’s a similar story with their transition output, scoring 26 fewer points per game from turnovers.

While the style of the two losses were dramatically different, with the Blues’ stoppage dominance proving the difference in round six, there is a sense that the team needs to be more resolute in the midfield.

The Giants were without Stephen Coniglio for the Swans clash and Tom Green was on the sidelines not long later with an ankle injury. That wasn’t an excuse for Kingsley, and the players don’t plan on using it either.

Lachie Whitfield’s influence was quelled by James Jordon. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

“It’s not an ideal situation to be in but we still expect to get the job done,” Kelly said. “Tom going down, he’s our main ball winner and presence around stoppages … if he’s not there, then we’ve got to find a way to get his job done.

“James Peatling has come into the midfield and been a real shining light. So we need to lift as a group, and be competitive from the first siren to the last.”

The Giants were beaten at their own game for much of the Sydney Derby. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“In weeks gone past we went, ‘Nah, this is what we do and we’re still good at this’ and get through them,” Ash added. “But on the weekend we went into our shells.

“Our ball movement wasn’t very good and they were able to lock us in our front half and when they did, their contest and forward line was pretty good.

“They did take away our thing and that’s something that we’ll have to work on next time to make sure we get our game up and going because I think we’re hard to stop when we do. We’re probably one of the best teams in the competition when we bring that and I don’t think anyone can stop us.”

It’s far from panic stations for the Giants. They’re still one of the overwhelming premiership favourites and safely in the top four.

Adam Kingsley knows his team’s output against Sydney was well below what they’re capable of. Picture: Matt King/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

But they’ll want a quick response against Essendon this weekend. Callan Ward’s 300th game will give them all the motivation they need, but creating pressure across the ground will be the key to turning the ripple back into the tsunami.

“It starts forward (of the ball), especially inside 50,” Ash said. “It’s being able to put a delay on the footy and let the mids and backs set up from there.

“When the ball gets in the middle of the ground, you’ve just got to fight and scrap. I think we’re getting better at it.

“As a defender, you can see the game a bit clearer than the midfield. So it’s communicating with them on the defensive stuff. That doesn’t come naturally to midfielders because they’re the ball-winners and that’s what they do.

“Going forward, we won’t have any problems with that at all. We had similar problems last year and cleaned it up. So we’ll work through that and we’ll get there for sure.”

Originally published as GWS Giants forced to consider plan B after ‘orange tsunami’ fails test in Sydney derby