Harry Himmelberg says GWS will take plenty of confidence from 27-point defeat to Sydney

They might have been overwhelmed against their cross-town rivals, but the Giants are taking plenty of positives out of their loss to the Swans in the Sydney Derby.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 22: Will Hayward of the Swans and Harry Himmelberg of the Giants contest the ball during the round 15 AFL match between Greater Western Sydney Giants and Sydney Swans at ENGIE Stadium, on June 22, 2024, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

The Giants have taken plenty of confidence out of their overall performance against the Swans despite falling to a 27-point defeat to their cross-town rivals.

It was a seven-goal-to-one second quarter that proved the difference, with GWS matching the ladder leaders for most of the match.

It’s not the first time this year the Giants have conceded a stretch of goals in a row, and Harry Himmelberg believes they’re close to finding the root of the problem.

“When I looked back at the game and watched some stuff back, we actually played some good footy,” Himmelberg said. “The second quarter really just cost us the game.

“We won the second half against the best second-half team in the league. So yeah, we’ll take the positives out of that. The third-quarter fightback was really good and we gave ourselves a real chance, so we’ll take confidence into this week.

Himmelberg believes there are plenty of positives to take out of the loss to the Swans. Picture: Matt King/AFL Photos/Getty Images

“But we’ll look at that second quarter and what went wrong for us and why we couldn’t stop the onslaught. I think our pressure dropped off, we were losing contests and when the ball’s living in the back half it’s hard to stop when you’ve got players like the Swans that can score heavily and quickly.

“They’re the benchmark team in the league. So if we can have fourth quarters like we had on the weekend against any team, I think we’ll be fine.”

The Giants only lost the inside-50 count by three, the clearances by one and also had 21 more marks throughout the game. Their pressure was relatively consistent for the entire match and they finished +3 for tackles.

It’s the sort of performance that would have kept them close against most other teams, but not the Swans in 2024.

“They’re going to be the ones that everyone has to beat,” Adam Kingsley said. “But I thought we fought hard.

“We’re certainly better placed this year than what we were last year, and we were able to string a run together. Who knows what’s possible.”

As a result, they’re looking for another step against the Crows in Adelaide this Saturday.

For Himmelberg, it could be another important match with another on-field family reunion looming in the AFL. His brother, Elliott, is close to making a return from a cheekbone injury and could be the latest siblings to do battle in recent weeks after the McKays and De Konings.

The Himmelberg brothers could come up against each other again this weekend at Adelaide Oval. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images

It’s also set to be the first time the pair meet since Elliott almost joined the Giants in the off-season, and his older brother just wants to see him playing senior footy as much as possible.

“I think he’ll be a test,” Harry said. “I’m sure I’ll speak to him this week and he’ll lie to me and tell me the opposite, so not sure yet.

“It would be handy for mum and dad, Adelaide in Adelaide. They won’t have to travel which would be good if he’s back in the ones.

“I think the only games we played together (growing up) were for Ungarie Magpies in the North Riverina Football League. We’d drive out there on Saturday and play because they were a small town that used to struggle for numbers.

“ (Playing together) would be awesome. Whether it eventuates we’ll have to wait and see. But I’d rather see him play AFL footy to be honest, I’m just happy seeing him out there.

“He needs to get some consistency in his game and stay away from the injuries. Whether it’s here or at another club, that’s all I really want to see.”

Following a rare stretch of three weeks sleeping in their own beds, the Giants are ready to hit the road again and attack the second half of the season.

They’re set to welcome back more players from injury including vice-captain Stephen Coniglio and Harry Perryman, while livewire Darcy Jones could also be back after a successful VFL return.

Consistency across four quarters has Himmelberg confident the Giants are close to their best. Picture: Jason McCawley/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

With the Crows languishing in the bottom four, it’s a must-win game for the Giants as they look to build on their premiership credentials.

“Our first part of the year is challenging. We love playing in Canberra but we’re still travelling so that takes its toll on the group,” Himmelberg said. “We love travelling but I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t taxing on the body.

“We’re looking forward to some home games in the back end of the year and hopefully, we can get some players back from injury as well to boost that.

“We are a year ahead as far as how we understand the game plan and how we implement it. The stuff that we’re getting wrong at the moment is not related to that.

“So, we’ll be looking to make a charge towards September, but we do have to get ourselves there first by winning so that’ll start this weekend.”

Originally published as Harry Himmelberg says GWS will take plenty of confidence from 27-point defeat to Sydney