2nds WSU GIANTS - NEAFL 2016

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Apr 30, 2011
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Season rundown:

First Four:
Sydney Uni (away), Sydney (away), Eastlake (away), Gold Coast (Townsville)
Last Four: Bye, Gold Coast (away), Redland (home), Brisbane (home)
Byes: 6, 14, 18
Play most: Sydney Swans, Brisbane, Gold Coast (three times each)
Play least: Aspley, Redland, Southport (once each)

The GIANTS NEAFL team will play a curtain raiser at Spotless Stadium for all eight AFL matches in 2016, including the last two minor rounds against Redland and Brisbane. But they will have to travel for each of the first four rounds. The GIANTS will head to Townsville in Round 4 to play the Gold Coast Suns in the first ever NEAFL match at Tony Ireland Stadium, and will feature in another regional match in Round 12 when they take on Eastlake in Wagga.
http://www.neafl.com.au/index.php?id=16&tx_ttnews[year]=2015&tx_ttnews[month]=11&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=5547&cHash=0dea6a17305e7f54c93f69830c7a0e50


Full Giants draw here
 

Ichabod Noodle

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Thread title needs to be changed, given that the UWS Giants no longer exist. In fact UWS itself no longer exists.
Millions of dollars have been spent in order to change UWS to WSU because..... Well, no idea actually. I think it sounds stupid, but there you go....

It's the WSU Giants from here on in.
 

Scully2Folau

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Thread title needs to be changed, given that the UWS Giants no longer exist. In fact UWS itself no longer exists.
Millions of dollars have been spent in order to change UWS to WSU because..... Well, no idea actually. I think it sounds stupid, but there you go....

It's the WSU Giants from here on in.
Done. Trial game this morning at Tom Wills, believe the club may be live-tweeting.
 
Nov 23, 2015
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Strong performances from Academy draftees Harrison Himmelberg and Jacob Hopper have helped the WSU GIANTS defeat a Canberra composite side by 44 points at Tom Wills Oval on Saturday. The game was the first competitive hit-out for many of the GIANTS squad and also the first match in charge for new NEAFL coach Brad Miller. Miller named a strong line-up including Jon Patton, Joel Patfull and new recruit Dawson Simpson for the match that was played in tough, hot conditions.

“I was really happy with the boys first up effort, they certainly put in against some of the bigger bodies and it was good for their development,” Miller said. The GIANTS held a 19-point lead at halftime thanks to Himmelberg in the backline taking a number of intercept marks and Hopper getting the ball moving out of the middle. “Harry Himmelberg was reading the ball really well and got us going off the halfback line,” Miller said. “Jacob was really impressive in and around the footy as well and once Daniel Lloyd moved onto the ball he offered us a lot of work and was able to crash in and get the ball moving forward.”

The GIANTS held the Canberra side goalless in the second half with Patton kicking three goals, adding his name to the list of GIANTS players pushing for selection in the last NAB Challenge game against Brisbane next Sunday. The WSU GIANTS - formerly known as the UWS GIANTS - have two more trial matches planned against Swans Reserves over the next fortnight before the NEAFL season gets underway against Sydney University on Sunday, April 3.

See more at: http://www.gwsgiants.com.au/news/2016-03-05/draftees-impress#sthash.kz1icWqo.dpuf
 
Yes me :)

First quarter was even but then you guys dominated all the way after that

Himmelberg only played a half but he was fantastic. Looked composed on the ball and organised the defence. Barrett Lloyd and Kennedy dominated our midfield which to be fair lost its best player Robinson after one quarter. Simpson broke even with Derickx. Pickett showed flashes of brilliance but too peripheral for mine. Reid too wasteful in front of goal tends to bomb away at the sticks instead of finding teammates

Patton burnt Richards a few times on the lead and also too strong for the academy players in the tackle. Flynn had a great tussle with Aliir. Got on top early but Aliir fought back well. Patfull ended up playing in the midfield because the ball was coming in defence. Not sure who your topup 53 was but he was great and kicked three goals.

Final score was swans 5.4 34 giants 13.21 99
 
Nov 23, 2015
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Oh and yeah Williams also played.
Thanks very much for that writeup, Grimlock.

Interesting a couple of those snippets on who played - Joel Patfull & Zac Williams. That means they're not playing first grade vs Lions. Don't know whether that's a pointer that they're in the round 1 team & allowing competition for other spots (e.g. Marchbank vs Corr; Buntine vs Adam Kennedy), or are the first ones knocked out of contention. Suspect the third emergency will be either WHE or Steele, but right now probably wouldn't be surprised by anything!
 
Nov 23, 2015
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Giants 13.21 99 d Swans 5.4 34; (47-0 second quarter)
WSU goals: #53 3, Patton 2, Kennedy 2, Pickett, Barrett, Flynn, Lloyd, Reid, #48
Still awaiting the match report, but just listened to Brad Miller's interview, his comments:
  • dominated most parts of the game, didn't play selfish footy
  • team worked diligently around stoppages
  • standout player #1 John Patton - active leading patterns, 2 goals were good, presented well
  • standout player #2 Sam Reid - warhorse in the middle, spreads hard, lays tackles, physical but shot poorly with something like 13 shots for goal
  • Matt Kennedy tackled well
  • Jarrod Pickett very good first half, lively around the ball, plenty of pressure on opposition was good
  • defence went well again, Harry Himmelberg good positioning, 'Joel Patfull a leader in our team'
  • Dawson Simpson - 'got us moving out of the centre, outstanding ruck work'
  • Jacob Hopper took a head knock and came off
  • 7 academy top-ups 'were outstanding, all had a crack, put their heads over the footy' - need to find out who #53 is
 

Ichabod Noodle

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Giants 13.21 99 d Swans 5.4 34; (47-0 second quarter)
WSU goals: #53 3, Patton 2, Kennedy 2, Pickett, Barrett, Flynn, Lloyd, Reid, #48
Still awaiting the match report, but just listened to Brad Miller's interview, his comments:
  • - need to find out who #53 is

Well match report has Sam Fisher kicking 3 and Conner Byrne kicking one so that would rather indicate who 53 and 48 were

Well done lads.
 
Nov 23, 2015
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Thanks for that Ichabod. Match report is here: http://www.gwsgiants.com.au/news/2016-03-12/wsu-giants-turn-up-the-heat

Sam Fisher has been previously mentioned here, as one of the two Canberra Marist kids (other being Tom Highmore) who were draft prospects, but perhaps not quite up with the top echelon of likely draftees at the start of 2016. Bit of info on him from 2015:

He has been involved with the Giants through their academy programs since he was 13, now 17 year old Marist college student Sam Fisher is determined to do everything in his power to take the next step and realise his AFL dream. Fisher spent his junior years playing for Ainslie and Eastlake but after starting school at Marist College, he has spent the previous two seasons playing for Marist in their under 18’s side.

However such is the talent of the young midfielder he was approached by Ainslie at the beginning of 2015 and offered a rookie contract for the 2015 NEAFL season. This was an offer to good to refuse and after completing a senior pre-season Fisher spent the first five rounds playing for Ainslie’s AFL Canberra First Grade side. “It was really challenging the first couple of games, [in first grade] with the bigger bodies and it’s obviously a lot faster and the skill level is higher [than under 18s]" Fisher said. “I feel like now I have found my feet a little bit, I have gradually learnt to compete with the bigger bodies I guess. I have learnt that you just have to will yourself to go in a little bit harder because you just know that they [the opposition] are going to go in harder as well. You definitely have to run harder to find the footy, not only on game day but even training, it’s definitely a lot more intense then under 18s.”

The NSW/ACT under 18 Rams coaches clearly agreed that Fisher was competing well at senior level selecting him to play a TAC cup game for the Rams as a bottom age player. “It was a big step up [playing TAC cup] it was very fast and there were a lot of structures that I needed to know. Purely the speed of the game and the fact that everyone playing is vying for that spot at the national level and trying to get drafted makes it very competitive.”

Fisher believes that spending time around a senior group of players at Ainslie has really helped him fast track his learning in all areas of football. Fisher admits that playing AFL has been something he has always aspired to do but is also realistic and knows it would take an incredible amount of work to reach that level. “Obviously playing AFL has always been the childhood dream, but it’s a very hard thing to achieve there are a lot of boys out there trying to achieve the same thing. I am an under ager in the under 18s [Rams] this year so hopefully next year I can play the majority of the game and improve on my fitness and strength so I can hopefully have a look in with the Giants, or any AFL club for that matter. My goal at the moment is to just try and play consistent senior footy and hopefully if I continue to do that I might get a chance to play NEAFL at some stage which would be great.”
 
Nov 23, 2015
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Could equally have posted this in the injury thread it seems ...

The Western Sydney University (WSU) GIANTS will take on the Swans reserves in a final NEAFL trial match at Blacktown International Sportspark on Saturday. With the NEAFL opener just over a week away, the two Sydney reserves sides will clash in a final hit-out before the season proper.

The GIANTS will be stocked with senior talent with Stephen Coniglio, Tim Mohr and Nick Haynes to all play on the comeback trail from injury. Coniglio, who was elevated to the leadership group this week, suffered a slight hamstring strain at training a few weeks ago. Having not played since February 25, the decision was made to get game time into him at NEAFL level. Key defender Mohr will take to the field for the first time since May last year when he re-injured his knee in his only appearance last season. Mohr has recovered from back-to-back ACL surgeries to take to the field again and push for a senior spot. Fellow defender Nick Haynes will also play some game time after rehabilitation from pre-season groin surgery.

This is the WSU GIANTS’ second pre-season match up against the Swans after a comfortable 65-point victory at Tom Wills Oval a fortnight ago. That followed strong performances from Academy draftees Harrison Himmelberg and Jacob Hopper which helped the WSU GIANTS defeat a Canberra composite side by 44 points. Draftees Jacob Hopper, Matthew Kennedy, Matthew Flynn and Harrison Himmelberg will be back in action with Hopper fully recovered from a minor concussion suffered in the opening quarter of the last Swans match.

The WSU GIANTS open their NEAFL campaign against Sydney University at Henson Park in Marrickville at 2pm on Sunday, April 3.
- See more at: http://www.gwsgiants.com.au/news/2016-03-25/final-tune-up#sthash.SrZMCqPO.dpuf
 
Nov 23, 2015
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Thanks for the match update Grimlock. I was trying to get the lead-up article in before a report arrived but you were too quick!
From the GWS perspective, good to see Patton with 5 goals, presumably against a reasonable defensive opposition. From the team perspective, not so great a result, though.

3 quarter time score was closer, so Swans ran away with it in the last, with GWS not scoring at all!
NEAFL Retweeted
Swans Reserves ‎@swansreserves
3q time @swansreserves 12.11 83 10.8 68 goals: Rose 3 Behagg 2 Davis McGlynn Marsh Jack Gowers Reinhard Wilson
 
Nov 23, 2015
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Match report from the final NEAFL trial. Great that Tim Mohr and Nick Haynes are back on the paddock, and good reports on Patton and Cogs' hammy. Hopper & WHE keeping the pressure on being named among the best players. The last quarter fade-out might be a bit of a worry given the firsts - but this was only a praccy match & we presumably wrapped a couple of guys in cotton wool in the second half, so hopefully nothing to be read into it.
_____
Five goals to Jon Patton wasn’t enough to stop the WSU GIANTS losing their final NEAFL trial by 59 points to the Swans Reserves at Blacktown International Sportspark on Saturday. The match saw a number of key GIANTS return from injury, with midfielder Stephen Coniglio playing the entire game after missing the last month with a hamstring. Defenders Tim Mohr (knee) and Nick Haynes (groin) also got through unscathed playing a half each in their first games of the season following long term lay offs due to injury. The first three quarters were tight, with the Swans carrying a 15-point lead into the last change, before holding the GIANTS scoreless and kicking seven last quarter goals to extend the margin.

Despite the loss GIANTS coach Brad Miller took a number of positives from the match, highlighting the successful return of Mohr, Haynes and Coniglio. “It was great to see Tim get through a half, he’s missed almost 11 months of footy coming back from his knee injury so just to see him get through and hold his on down back was great,” Miller said. “I thought Haynesy (Haynes) really got us going at times, he is a really smart footballer with his positioning and to see him get through after a long lay off was really pleasing. “It was good to have Cogs (Coniglio) and his experience around the ball for most of the day and as always he was nice and hard over the ball. Power forward Jon Patton was the standout up front, proving to be a constant headache for the Swans defence that included Ted Richards. “It’s great to have a forward target like Jon, even though he ended up kicking five it was his contest stuff that really stood out on the day,” Miller said. “A couple of times he halved contests and brought the ball to ground and charged through and won his own footy at ground level which was really pleasing.”

The WSU GIANTS will take on Sydney Uni at Henson Park in Marrickville at 2pm on Sunday, April 3 in the first match of the official NEAFL season.

Young midfielder Jacob Hopper also did his chance of a call-up no harm with a dominant display in the middle.

WSU GIANTS: 3.4.22 6.8.44 10.8.68 10.8.68
Swans reserves: 4.2.26 8.8.56 12.11.83 19.13.127


Best Players: Hopper, Coniglio, Hoskin-Elliott, Patton
Goal Kickers: Patton 5, Barrett, Hoskin-Elliot, Fisher, Lloyd, Pickett
- See more at: http://www.gwsgiants.com.au/news/2016-03-27/neafl-trial#sthash.MMxJUvLz.dpuf
 
Patfull, Haynes, Himmelberg
Vardenega, Mohr, Dowse
Barrett, Lloyd, Visser
Pickett, Flynn, McKenna
D.Morton, Reid, Stewart
Simpson, Hopper, Downie

Int: (from) Greene, Patton, Tomlinson, Buntine, Kelly, Williams, Steele
Emg: Coxall, B.Morton, Stevens
 
Nov 23, 2015
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Sydney Uni 4.4-28 8.10-58 10.11-71 13.13-91
UWS Giants 3.2-20 7.2-44 13.5-83 17.9-111

Goal Kickers: S. Reid 4, M. Flynn 3, A. Tomlinson 3, J. Hopper 2, T. Mohr 2, J. Stewart 2, T. Downie

Best Players: A. Tomlinson, J. Hopper, Z. Williams, D. Lloyd, H. Himmelberg, S. Reid

So, good to see the team fighting back from a half-time deficit. Tommo & Zac Williams showing that they're still on the margins of first team selection. Great to see Dan Lloyd and HH in the 'bests' list. And how long until Jacob Hopper gets a chance? Always going to be hard to displace someone, so presumably the best chance will come if someone has an injury. But I hope it's a while then!

However, I didn't see Nick Haynes' name on the team sheet, so he may not have played - just not sure how accurate the reporting is? If Haynes isn't ready to return, who's the option to replace Caleb Marchbank, presuming the reports of his rolled ankle knocking him out for at least a week are true. Patfull is available and should be working back to full fitness, Finlayson is out, so the other option might be HH if the coaching staff think his form is up to it?
 
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