Unpacking how the Giants’ wheels fell off after racing away as flag favourites six weeks in

The Giants have been missing personnel due to injury, but a more crucial part of their game has fallen away in the past month. LACHLAN McKIRDY unpacks how and why the Giants have fallen off the pace after being premiership favourites.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 08: The Giants leave the field looking dejected after a loss during the 2024 AFL Round 13 match between the Hawthorn Hawks and the GWS GIANTS at UTAS Stadium on June 08, 2024 in Launceston, Australia. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

The Giants have gone from the best team in transition in the competition to the worst as they look to arrest their concerning form slump halfway through the season.

Following a flawless opening month of the year, the Giants have only won one of their past five matches and are languishing in areas they usually pride themselves on.

Up until round seven, the Giants were the best side in the AFL at scoring points from turnover. From round eight onwards, they scored the fewest.

The figures are similarly disappointing for their time spent in the forward half, their chains to score and moving the ball from their defensive to forward 50.

It’s been noticed by midfielders Tom Green and Callan Ward.

“Our reliability and predictability with our structures in our system is maybe just going away a little bit,” Green said.

“We need to make it more consistent.

“When we do it, I think you still see glimpses of it, but we’re not getting it consistently right as we did in the back half of last year.”

“I feel like it’s still there,” Ward added. “It’s just not there for long enough.

“Teams do work you out, and maybe they have. But at the same time, I think we’re good enough to work through that. We’ve got the confidence we can work through that.

“We still believe our best is really good and that we need to work out ways in which we can get back to that and fight through teams coming at us as well.”

The Giants’ loss to Hawthorn continued a worrying trend of not capitalising on opposition turnovers. Picture: Steve Bell/Getty Images

The Giants got a lot right in their six-point loss to Hawthorn. They were strong around the stoppages, winning both the clearance and contested possession battle, while their efficiency was also above their season average.

However, they struggled to find consistent forward targets, finishing well below their average marks inside 50.

Their woes were reinforced by their board member, and former Cats star, Jimmy Bartel showcasing how the club can be picked apart when pressure is applied.

“The Giants have to go back and have a good, hard look,” Bartel said on Channel 9.

“Energy and effort has to be for all four quarters. You can’t switch off and it has got to be on everybody. Because team defence is letting them down … It’s damning.”

The players were happy to take Bartel’s comments on the chin and accept that they have to do more, particularly to stop their defence from being overwhelmed in transition.

“I think it’s definitely fair commentary from Jimmy and, you know, he’s got every right to say it and I think he wouldn’t be alone in thinking that,” Green said.

“It’s something that we’ve just got to rectify and I suppose it’s a good challenge when someone like that within your club as well is challenging you that way.

“I think it comes from a place of, he understands that we can be better and we should be better.”

The Giants are still in a strong position thanks to their fast start to 2024. They sit inside the top eight and are set to welcome several big names back into the side over the coming weeks.

There are currently seven first-choice players – Josh Kelly, Stephen Coniglio, Jack Buckley, Lachie Ash, Harry Perryman, Isaac Cumming and Darcy Jones – unavailable through injury for Adam Kingsley.

Kelly and Buckley are close to a return against Port Adelaide this Sunday.

The Giants were unable to get their transition game going with any great effect against the Hawks. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

It has meant that younger, inexperienced players have been relied upon to try and get the job done in the past month. While they’ll no doubt be better for the run, they hope that taking into account their age profile will explain some of the inconsistency from a team that was a premiership favourite only a month earlier.

“I don’t think it was a step back (against Hawthorn), but we’re certainly not progressing like we were at the start of the year in the way we’d like to,” Green said.

“I think if you look at the ladder right now, the competition is maybe the most even it’s been in a very long time, because if you’re off by a little bit, anyone can beat anyone.

“Being a young team, I think that’s something maybe not appreciated or a narrative around us. On the weekend, I think we were the younger team and had less games experience.

“The gap between our best and worst at the minute is clearly too large, and we need to narrow that down … so that the games we get beaten, we aren’t having third quarters like on the weekend.

“There are guys who have played a lot of senior football for us that are out … and it’d be nice to have them there. But we have faith in the people coming into play their role.

“While we aren’t in the best form, it’s games like (Port Adelaide this weekend) that if you can put in a really good performance and execute our stuff, it can give you real confidence going forward.”

Originally published as Unpacking how the Giants’ wheels fell off after racing away as flag favourites six weeks in