Greater Western Sydney put their finals aspirations back on track with a convincing six-goal win over St Kilda at Spotless Stadium last weekend. In early June, Leon Cameron’s side was sitting pretty at 7-3, but after losing three consecutive games around the bye, their victory over the Saints was a much-needed one to keep their pursuit of September alive.
It has been a mixed week of fortune for the games newest franchise with star midfielder Dylan Shiel having his season all but ended due to a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee. The big-bodied onballer had entered the upper echelon of midfielders in the game this season, with a high finish in the
Brownlow medal beckoning as well as a maiden All Australian guernsey. He may still feature in the finals series if the Giants qualify, but given the timing of the injury the Victorian will be up against it.
On a more positive note, Greater Western Sydney finally secured the services of burgeoning star Stephen Coniglio, with the highly talented midfielder extending his time in the harbour city for at least another two years. Coniglio returned from injury on the weekend against St Kilda, producing one of the finest showings of his year with 26 possessions, five clearances and an enormous 17 tackles – a career-high haul. With a tally of 80.7 pressure points for round 15, the West Australian ranked third across the entire round.
The only remaining key priority for the Giants to re-sign is Adam Treloar who put his contract discussions off until the end of the season. The ball magnet is the final piece missing in their list management puzzle and is highly sought after with a handful of big Melbourne clubs ferociously chasing him. Treloar has followed up his breakout 2014 campaign with another ultra consistent year thus far. The Victorian is averaging a career-high 27.7 possessions, 5.1 tackles, 4.4 clearances and 3.3 inside 50s per game. Against St Kilda last weekend, the leather accumulator collected 30 possessions, eight inside 50s and seven rebound 50s, playing a more outside role than usual.
Former No. 1 draft pick, Tom Scully, will play his 100th game against the Gold Coast SUNS at Metricon Stadium on Saturday. Heavily maligned for the duration of his career to date, the endurance machine has produced the most consistent season of his six-year career, averaging 21.7 disposals (career-high), 4.4 tackles and 3.2 inside 50s per game. High draft picks are heavily scrutinised, it comes with the territory. But when they move from a battling club to an expansion side and for massive dollars, the blowtorch burns even brighter. Earlier this week, Cameron told inquisitive reporters that Scully has improved in all areas, particularly contested ball, which has been highlighted in years gone by.
Greater Western Sydney has shrewdly constructed an engine room that has the potential to one day be the envy of the entire competition. The Giants possess a diverse group, inside and outside class, and a mix of young talent and mature, seasoned campaigners. Led by co-captain Callan Ward and former Western Bulldogs captain Ryan Griffen, GWS have experience amid the next generation of the game’s elite in Treloar, Coniglio, Shiel, Scully, Lachie Whitfield, Devon Smith and Toby Greene. And that’s not including the bevy of high draft picks sitting in the NEAFL currently.
At the start of the season, with the seat still warm from where Tom Boyd planted his massive frame before he departed for greener pastures, and with Jon Patton in the early stages of his rehabilitation following a second knee reconstruction in two years, the Giants goal sources suddenly looked scarce. Fast forward to now, and the form of Jeremy Cameron along with Cam McCarthy has been exceptional. An All Australian in 2013, Cameron is on track for a second team of the year gong. After 15 rounds, the brilliant full forward has booted 42 goals to sit in second spot in the Coleman medal race, behind West Coast’s Josh Kennedy. The form of McCarthy has been one of the stories of the season. He burst out of the blocks, but has slowed recently, kicking only three goals since the bye. But given he has 31 for the year – 11th in the competition – the combination will cause Eade some headaches this week.
Key Players
The way Jeremy Cameron is travelling, he will break his career-high goals tally of 62 that he set two seasons ago – the year where he announced himself as the game’s next best key forward. After enduring an injury riddled 2014 campaign, Cameron has returned to his All Australian best this year, and is right in the race for a maiden Coleman medal. Cameron kicks goals; he doesn’t touch the footy a lot. But his partnership with McCarthy this year has taken all before them as the pair has emerged as one of the more damaging attacks in the game. It will be interesting to see where and how Patton fits into the scheme of things when he eventually returns to the Giants forward line.
Callan Ward put two lean weeks behind him against the Saints to help put the Giants back on the winners list. The former Bulldog has entrenched himself in the top bracket of onballers in the league in the last couple of seasons and has been of Greater Western Sydney prime movers this year. With the evolving orange midfield stepping up this year, with Shiel and Treloar taking another step forward, Ward has flourished with a more even spread of contribution. The co-captain is averaging career-high numbers for disposals (25.5), marks (5.0) and inside 50s (4.3), as well as collecting 6.4 clearances and 5.4 tackles per week thus far this season.
Heath Shaw has become an integral part of a Giants defensive setup that has been forced to fight above its weight this season due to a series of untimely injuries to key players. The 2010 Collingwood premiership defender has been touted by some football experts as having a mortgage on a small defensive spot in this year’s All Australian side. That is how good his year has been. With Phil Davis and Joel Patfull missing a lot of football, and Tim Mohr not making an appearance due a reoccurring knee injury, Shaw has led a youthful back six comprised of Nick Haynes, Matt Buntine and Aidan Corr. The raking right footer has become a crucial pillar in the Giants ball movement patterns, with a metres gained register of 6638m for the year – the third most in the game behind Jack Steven and Dustin Martin.
Recent Results
Rd. 15 Greater Western Sydney 12.12 (84) def St Kilda 6.13 (49) at Spotless Stadium
Rd. 14 Greater Western Sydney 10.9 (69) def by Richmond 10.18 (78) at MCG
Rd. 12 Greater Western Sydney 8.13 (61) def by North Melbourne 18.9 (117) at Spotless Stadium
Rd. 11 Greater Western Sydney 11.11 (77) def Collingwood 18.11 (119) at MCG
