GWS spearhead Jesse Hogan to face former club Melbourne in career-best season

When the AFL fixture is released each year, Jesse Hogan circles games against Fremantle and Melbourne. But he tells LACHLAN McKIRDY he’s never really performed against them, and is desperate to change that this weekend.

Jesse Hogan during GWS Giants training on July 25, 2024. Photo by Phil Hillyard (Image Supplied for Editorial Use only – **NO ON SALES** – ©Phil Hillyard )

Jesse Hogan loves watching his footy.

Specifically, he becomes engrossed in studying opposition key forwards.

It’s only natural that the Coleman Medal contender wants to keep an eye on who he’s up against. But it’s never been solely about tracking their goals, it’s his innate desire to always find new ways to improve.

“I like to watch other key forwards, just for their craft, not how many goals they’re kicking,” Hogan said.

“(Charlie Curnow) is an entertaining player to watch and there’s a reason he’s won two (Colemans) in a row, going for his third.”

The resurgence of the Giants’ main target man has been one of the stories of the past 12 months in the AFL.

His incredible form in 2023 saw him finish with a career-best 49 goals as GWS made it within a point of the grand final.

He picked up exactly where he left off and through 18 matches this year, he has already taken his tally back to 49 goals and is one away from the first half-century of his career.

It puts him second on the overall Coleman Medal standings behind Curnow with five rounds to play.

Jesse Hogan has taken more marks inside 50 than any other player this season. Picture: Matt King/AFL Photos/via Getty Images.

Individual honours have never been a focus for the 29-year-old, however, there’s a sense that if he was able to get his way to the top of the charts it would mean more to Hogan than most.

“The fact that I’m even in that conversation, it’s cool to be around the star forwards of the competition,” Hogan said. “But it’s not something I actively think about.

“I think it’s the most games I’ve ever played in a row across my entire career. So to be able to play each week and connect with the boys more and more has been massive for me.

“I’ve just got a lot of confidence in my body, to be honest. It allows me to train and to compete, and I’m glad I’m in a bit of form with it.

“It would be nice to get to 50 for the first time. I play for a pretty exciting team that move the ball well, so the stars kind of aligned in that manner.”

It’s not an over-reaction to say the Giants wouldn’t be where they are without Hogan this year. He has single-handedly kept them in several games and often has been the one forward to give them momentum when they’ve struggled in matches.

Nothing sums that up more than his ability to take strong, contested marks inside 50. Hogan has taken 71 marks inside 50 this season. Charlie Curnow, Harry McKay and Kyle Langford are the next best, all with 49 marks.

The Giants have found a more consistent spread of contributors recently, but Hogan’s ability to create a contest and let his teammates get in on the action is an underrated aspect of his play.

“The past three weeks, we’ve probably struggled to generate inside 50s,” Hogan said. “We’ve maybe been efficient enough … but we’re not having that massive amount of entries.

“The standard in the league now is crazy. There’s no easy wins. If you’re off by 10, 15 or 20 per cent you’re going to lose those games. And unfortunately we had a period where we weren’t getting it done … and we weren’t putting on scores.

“Kingers always talks about learning your lessons, and if you can learn your lessons after winning, even better.”

“I think he’s playing incredibly unselfish football and getting rewarded because of it,” Kingsley added when asked about his in-form key forward.

This period of the season is often when Hogan will be given a week to put his feet up. He played a career-high 23 games last year and is on track to exceed that again should the Giants make finals.

Jesse Hogan has been the Giants’ focal point in 2024. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

But he’s feeling as fresh as ever, his relentless injuries appear to be in the past and he’s relishing the challenge of leading one of the competition’s youngest sides.

As they look to extend their three-game winning streak, their next task is a match-up against Hogan’s former side, Melbourne. It’s also a return to a familiar stomping ground for him in the MCG.

For a venue that holds so many memories from early in his career, he knows that it’s vital for the Giants to build their form there. And considering he’s only ever kicked one goal against the Dees in four matches, he’s hoping he can continue his trend of breaking records in 2024.

“When the fixture comes out, I always look at where we’re playing Freo or Melbourne,” Hogan said. “I don’t know if it’s excitement or nerves, but it’s definitely something.

“I’ve actually never really played that well against them, so hopefully this weekend can be a bit different.

“But when I see it, especially at the ‘G in front of their home fans … there’s a different feel to it.

“Kingers summed it up two weeks ago saying if you’re going to win the flag, this is where you’re going to have to do it. So every opportunity we get to play there, we don’t take it lightly.

“The boys always lift for games like this at the MCG. I’m not going to say we’re playing finals by any stretch, but this is as close as it gets without obtaining finals.”

Originally published as GWS spearhead Jesse Hogan to face former club Melbourne in career-best season