GWS Giants roll Suns but sweating on star forward Toby Greene

The GWS Giants Ferrari is well and truly back on the finals road and it barely needed to get out of second gear on Sunday.

Tim Taranto leaps to take a mark for GWS Giants against Gold Coast Suns. Picture: Getty Images

The GWS Giants Ferrari is well and truly back on the finals road and it barely needed to get out of second gear against a disappointing Gold Coast Suns outfit in the clash of the AFL’s expansion teams.

But just what finals road the Giants will travel — another tilt at a flag or battling to make up the numbers — will largely depend on the extent of a hamstring injury suffered by star Toby Greene in the first quarter of their 9.7 (61) to 4.11 (35) win at Metricon Stadium.

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The loss of their star, and arguably most important player, didn’t put the brakes on the ­Giants against the insipid Suns as GWS moved level on points with its top-eight rival.

The Giants led throughout, and were rarely threatened in a game where the main point of interest was the injury to Greene.

He had come into the clash in supreme form after booting five against reigning premier Richmond last time out for the Giants.

Stuart Dew gave youngster Connor Budarick one mighty task by putting him on the Giants superstar, and Greene started the clash strongly.

He missed a chance to kick the first goal of the day, but one minute later set up Tim Taranto, and while he had two behinds he had amassed six disposals in the first quarter.

But as he and Budarick raced after a ball on the wing Greene pulled up with his hamstring injury. He ran to the bench and the Giants ruled him out of the rest of the game at quarter time.

Zac Williams showed his value to GWS as he returned from a hamstring injury. Providing the Giants with plenty of run from halfback, Williams finished with 26 disposals and six marks.

He also gained 436 metres with his elite speed in an impressive return.

Dew’s young Suns still have a lot of work to do. They only kicked two goals in three quarters, and too many of their key players such as Lachie Weller, David Swallow, Hugh Greenwood, Sam Day, Touk Miller and exciting youngsters Izak Rankine and Ben King were too quiet.

The Suns have now only won one game since Matt Rowell dislocated his shoulder.

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