Game Day Pre-Season 2024: GWS Giants vs Gold Coast Suns, 7.10 pm Thursday 29 February @ Manuka Oval

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How we going to fit them all in!
Our older blokes we were worried about were all excellent (Ward, Whitfield,Haynes)
Lots of young blokes stuck their hands up, if XOH and Brown weren't locked in they are now.
All of Wehr, Thomas, Cadman looked promising.
The reserves Angwin and McMullen came on and did well.
Everyone assumed Keefe just falls out, he played well and would be a worthy selection.
Good problem to have, but all of those guys if picked I'd be happy with, and I'll be disappointed with some of omissions next week.
On what I saw tonight, I'm picking Haynes somewhere. Back to fitness, he is still a gun.
 
Pretty good hitout really. A few blokes will be unlucky to miss selection for Round 0, though one of McMullin or Thomas might get a game if Binga doesn’t recover. Imagine Hogan comes in for Keeffe and Ash for Aleer.

Perryman a big loss given Collingwood’s dangerous small forwards.
 
Article on last night’s game by McKirdy who normally seems to have the co-operation of the NSW set-up.

Notice he reports “Thankfully for both sides, both got through the game without any major injury concerns. The Giants rested a few players in the second half including Daniels who had a bit of soreness in his heel but is still expected to be available for the clash against Collingwood”.

Personally, I thought the game highlighted how important Briggs is to the side, given no like-for-like replacement is available.



AFL pre-season: Key takeaways from GWS v Gold Coast

By LACHLAN MCKIRDY

NSW AFL REPORTER

NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA SPORTS NEWSROOM

10:06PM, 29 FEBRUARY 2024

The Giants have flexed their muscle in a dominant pre-season victory over the Suns in Canberra.

Despite some early resistance, last year’s preliminary finalists proved too strong through the middle and dominated Damien Hardwick’s young side.

The Giants were relentless with their forward entries and the class of their forwards made the most of the regular opportunities that came their way. Gold Coast were no match around the stoppages as they were blown out of the park when it came to contested possessions.

There were some promising signs for the Suns scattered across the match, including three early goals in the first quarter to Jack Lukosius. But they quickly faded with the Giants kicking 11 straight goals through to the third quarter to put the game well out of reach.

The Suns are clearly some way off the finished product, but any doubts about the Giants’ orange tsunami returning in 2024 were put to bed with an emphatic 44-point win.

The experience of the Giants’ midfield was always set to give them the advantage on Thursday but they simply outworked the Suns throughout the middle passage of the game.

By three-quarter time when they started rotating some of their starters out of the game, GWS had opened up a +36 lead on contested possessions and +12 on clearances.

Tom Green brought the intensity with a blistering first quarter, registering 13 touches and four clearances in the opening term. Xavier O’Halloran was another to impress, making the most of his opportunity on the wing and regularly popping up around the ball.

Touk Miller starred again for the Suns with 33 touches for the game, but he struggled for consistent help around the stoppages.

The fascinating battle between ruckmen Kieren Briggs and Jarrod Witts probably just went the Giants’ way. Witts often got the first touch, but Briggs’ work on the ground created plenty of opportunities for his side.

SUNS’ TRANSITION STRUGGLES

Gold Coast’s forward line had a disappointing night in Canberra, but some disappointing service from their midfield didn’t help them.

Lukosius’ three-goal first quarter set the tone for the Suns but they completely fell away thanks to the Giants’ dominant display.

Sam Taylor, Connor Buckley, Connor Idun and Harry Himmelberg cleaned up any poor entries that came their way with Ben King the last player to start the game to get a touch.

Mac Andrew looked his best when he was deployed further down the ground as a second ruckman, while Levi Casboult didn’t have too much influence when he came on in the second half.

KEY PLAYERS FROM GWS V GOLD COAST

GIANTS
Tom Green - The Giants’ midfielder was one of the best on ground, impressing with his ability to win the ball and looked a class above his opponents. Is set to rack up plenty of disposals and clearances throughout the year and chipped in with a goal in the final term.
Nick Haynes - Playing his first minutes of pre-season, the 31-year-old’s composure was on display as he slotted in seamlessly to the Giants’ superb defence. He has probably maintained his place as the side’s next man up over Leek Aleer.
Harvey Thomas - The young draftee impressed again as he hit the ground running at Manuka Oval. He saw plenty of the ball and wasn’t overawed playing against AFL-level opponents. The teenager was also happy to bring the physicality, going hard at the likes of Matt Rowell and is firming for an opening-round debut.
Xavier O’Halloran - Injury meant O’Halloran was on the sidelines for a large chunk of their special 2023 finals run, but O’Halloran will be one of the first names on the teamsheet after his display against the Suns. He was silky on the wing, saw plenty of ball and had a big impact in transition.
Kieren Briggs - The ruckman had a tough contest against Witts but won the battle with some impressive work at ground level. His hands look clean again after a big pre-season and it’s a good sign for what’s to come if he’s set to play 20+ games for the first time in his career.
SUNS
Touk Miller - Miller looked a class above again in the Suns’ midfield, finding plenty of space and impressing with his composure. He will be the midfield general for his side and once he gets a bit more support around him, the output should come.
Jack Lukosius - The classy left-footer was up and about early with three goals, but showed his hot and cold nature by only having eight touches in the final three-quarters of the game. He can be a regular scoring option, and he added a fourth late in the game, but he needs the likes of King to make sure he’s not playing a lone hand.
Mac Andrew - Andrew had some promising signs, particularly as a second ruckman when he contested well. But he was dominated by the Giants’ physical defence and will struggle to have an impact regularly in the forward line.
Bailey Humphrey - Humphrey had a few nice touches and was one of the Suns’ better at finding a target inside 50. Also finished with a goal
Will Powell - Had a strong impact in defence and finished the game with nine intercept possessions and also two score involvements. Helped stem the flow at stages when the Giants were on a roll.

The Suns also needed more output from their small forwards, a position that is still up in the air for their opening game against the Tigers. Darcy Macpherson struggled to make an impact and was eventually switched down back once the Giants got on a roll.

Gold Coast had more success in the second half when they lowered their eyes and slowed down the build-up, but by that stage, the Giants had dropped their intensity in preparation for next week.

Despite it being a pre-season game, the Giants were incredibly polished as they put on a show for a small crowd in Canberra.

Brent Daniels impressed in the first half and kicked an acrobatic goal over his head to cap off some good work. Toby Greene also impressed in his first game as a new dad, taking some spectacular marks and finishing with three goals for the night.

And while it was just a Community Series game, a few players were going for Mark of the Year. Aaron Cadman was happy to get on top of shoulders, while King ended up standing on top of Buckley to make sure the photographers got their pictures.

Thankfully for both sides, both got through the game without any major injury concerns. The Giants rested a few players in the second half including Daniels who had a bit of soreness in his heel but is still expected to be available for the clash against Collingwood.

MATCH DETAILS

GWS 5.2 9.9 13.13 15.15 (105)

Gold Coast 3.2 3.3 6.5 9.7 (61)

Goals:

GWS - T. Greene (3), C. Brown (3), J. Riccardi (2), B. Daniels (2), C. Ward (1), T. McMullin (1), T. Green (1), A. Cadman (1), T. Bedford (1)

Gold Coast - J. Lukosius (4), T. Miller (1), B. Humphrey (1), N. Holman (1), T. Berry (1), N. Anderson (1)

Best:

GWS - Green, O’Halloran, Idun, Coniglio, Briggs

Gold Coast - Miller, Sexton, Lukosius, Rowell, Humphrey

Ground: 2,559 @ Manuka Oval
 

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It feels like a proper footy club these days with great age demographic and competition for spots, and players that have done a proper apprenticeship in the 2's really stood out, Brown, Buckley, O'Halloran.
It's a treat that we still get to see Cal Ward running around with his pigeon chest and twig legs, and McMullin looks the goods. Every footy club needs one of those mulletted, raw-boned Danny Southern types.
 
Brave New World said:
Article on last night’s game by McKirdy who normally seems to have the co-operation of the NSW set-up.

Notice he reports “Thankfully for both sides, both got through the game without any major injury concerns. The Giants rested a few players in the second half including Daniels who had a bit of soreness in his heel but is still expected to be available for the clash against Collingwood”.

Personally, I thought the game highlighted how important Briggs is to the side, given no like-for-like replacement is available.



AFL pre-season: Key takeaways from GWS v Gold Coast

By LACHLAN MCKIRDY

NSW AFL REPORTER

NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA SPORTS NEWSROOM

10:06PM, 29 FEBRUARY 2024

The Giants have flexed their muscle in a dominant pre-season victory over the Suns in Canberra.

Despite some early resistance, last year’s preliminary finalists proved too strong through the middle and dominated Damien Hardwick’s young side.

The Giants were relentless with their forward entries and the class of their forwards made the most of the regular opportunities that came their way. Gold Coast were no match around the stoppages as they were blown out of the park when it came to contested possessions.

There were some promising signs for the Suns scattered across the match, including three early goals in the first quarter to Jack Lukosius. But they quickly faded with the Giants kicking 11 straight goals through to the third quarter to put the game well out of reach.

The Suns are clearly some way off the finished product, but any doubts about the Giants’ orange tsunami returning in 2024 were put to bed with an emphatic 44-point win.

The experience of the Giants’ midfield was always set to give them the advantage on Thursday but they simply outworked the Suns throughout the middle passage of the game.

By three-quarter time when they started rotating some of their starters out of the game, GWS had opened up a +36 lead on contested possessions and +12 on clearances.

Tom Green brought the intensity with a blistering first quarter, registering 13 touches and four clearances in the opening term. Xavier O’Halloran was another to impress, making the most of his opportunity on the wing and regularly popping up around the ball.

Touk Miller starred again for the Suns with 33 touches for the game, but he struggled for consistent help around the stoppages.

The fascinating battle between ruckmen Kieren Briggs and Jarrod Witts probably just went the Giants’ way. Witts often got the first touch, but Briggs’ work on the ground created plenty of opportunities for his side.

SUNS’ TRANSITION STRUGGLES

Gold Coast’s forward line had a disappointing night in Canberra, but some disappointing service from their midfield didn’t help them.

Lukosius’ three-goal first quarter set the tone for the Suns but they completely fell away thanks to the Giants’ dominant display.

Sam Taylor, Connor Buckley, Connor Idun and Harry Himmelberg cleaned up any poor entries that came their way with Ben King the last player to start the game to get a touch.

Mac Andrew looked his best when he was deployed further down the ground as a second ruckman, while Levi Casboult didn’t have too much influence when he came on in the second half.

KEY PLAYERS FROM GWS V GOLD COAST

GIANTS
Tom Green - The Giants’ midfielder was one of the best on ground, impressing with his ability to win the ball and looked a class above his opponents. Is set to rack up plenty of disposals and clearances throughout the year and chipped in with a goal in the final term.
Nick Haynes - Playing his first minutes of pre-season, the 31-year-old’s composure was on display as he slotted in seamlessly to the Giants’ superb defence. He has probably maintained his place as the side’s next man up over Leek Aleer.
Harvey Thomas - The young draftee impressed again as he hit the ground running at Manuka Oval. He saw plenty of the ball and wasn’t overawed playing against AFL-level opponents. The teenager was also happy to bring the physicality, going hard at the likes of Matt Rowell and is firming for an opening-round debut.
Xavier O’Halloran - Injury meant O’Halloran was on the sidelines for a large chunk of their special 2023 finals run, but O’Halloran will be one of the first names on the teamsheet after his display against the Suns. He was silky on the wing, saw plenty of ball and had a big impact in transition.
Kieren Briggs - The ruckman had a tough contest against Witts but won the battle with some impressive work at ground level. His hands look clean again after a big pre-season and it’s a good sign for what’s to come if he’s set to play 20+ games for the first time in his career.
SUNS
Touk Miller - Miller looked a class above again in the Suns’ midfield, finding plenty of space and impressing with his composure. He will be the midfield general for his side and once he gets a bit more support around him, the output should come.
Jack Lukosius - The classy left-footer was up and about early with three goals, but showed his hot and cold nature by only having eight touches in the final three-quarters of the game. He can be a regular scoring option, and he added a fourth late in the game, but he needs the likes of King to make sure he’s not playing a lone hand.
Mac Andrew - Andrew had some promising signs, particularly as a second ruckman when he contested well. But he was dominated by the Giants’ physical defence and will struggle to have an impact regularly in the forward line.
Bailey Humphrey - Humphrey had a few nice touches and was one of the Suns’ better at finding a target inside 50. Also finished with a goal
Will Powell - Had a strong impact in defence and finished the game with nine intercept possessions and also two score involvements. Helped stem the flow at stages when the Giants were on a roll.

The Suns also needed more output from their small forwards, a position that is still up in the air for their opening game against the Tigers. Darcy Macpherson struggled to make an impact and was eventually switched down back once the Giants got on a roll.

Gold Coast had more success in the second half when they lowered their eyes and slowed down the build-up, but by that stage, the Giants had dropped their intensity in preparation for next week.

Despite it being a pre-season game, the Giants were incredibly polished as they put on a show for a small crowd in Canberra.

Brent Daniels impressed in the first half and kicked an acrobatic goal over his head to cap off some good work. Toby Greene also impressed in his first game as a new dad, taking some spectacular marks and finishing with three goals for the night.

And while it was just a Community Series game, a few players were going for Mark of the Year. Aaron Cadman was happy to get on top of shoulders, while King ended up standing on top of Buckley to make sure the photographers got their pictures.

Thankfully for both sides, both got through the game without any major injury concerns. The Giants rested a few players in the second half including Daniels who had a bit of soreness in his heel but is still expected to be available for the clash against Collingwood.

MATCH DETAILS

GWS 5.2 9.9 13.13 15.15 (105)

Gold Coast 3.2 3.3 6.5 9.7 (61)

Goals:

GWS - T. Greene (3), C. Brown (3), J. Riccardi (2), B. Daniels (2), C. Ward (1), T. McMullin (1), T. Green (1), A. Cadman (1), T. Bedford (1)

Gold Coast - J. Lukosius (4), T. Miller (1), B. Humphrey (1), N. Holman (1), T. Berry (1), N. Anderson (1)

Best:

GWS - Green, O’Halloran, Idun, Coniglio, Briggs

Gold Coast - Miller, Sexton, Lukosius, Rowell, Humphrey

Ground: 2,559 @ Manuka Oval
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Im loving the amount of content that Lachlan McKirdy is getting out
 

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