Remove this Banner Ad

Prediction Where will we finish in 2026?

Where will we finish this season?

  • Top 4

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Top 6

    Votes: 2 20.0%

  • Top 8

    Votes: 3 30.0%

  • Wildcard

    Votes: 4 40.0%

  • Will not play finals

    Votes: 1 10.0%
  • Total voters
    10
  • Poll closed .

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Log in to remove this Banner Ad

I think it's hard to judge, especially with the heavy injury toll.

One third of our best players missing the first several weeks - first 4 games against likely top 8 sides we could lose them all.

Then we go on the road, again with ongoing injuries we could lose a lot of them.

Our season could be virtually over before we get anywhere near our best side on the park.

Look at Sydney & Bulldogs last year - they each lose a prime mover (Swans - Gulden, Dogs - Bont) and it derailed their season.

If we're down a quarter of our best players all season ... it could get ugly.
 
Giant Strides said:
I think it's hard to judge, especially with the heavy injury toll.

One third of our best players missing the first several weeks - first 4 games against likely top 8 sides we could lose them all.

Then we go on the road, again with ongoing injuries we could lose a lot of them.

Our season could be virtually over before we get anywhere near our best side on the park.

Look at Sydney & Bulldogs last year - they each lose a prime mover (Swans - Gulden, Dogs - Bont) and it derailed their season.

If we're down a quarter of our best players all season ... it could get ugly.
Click to expand...
I think we only win one by catching fire in a bottle … the afl have set things up for us to do well but not too well …. That’s where the young guys come to the fore and lead us to the promised land
 
Finish the season probably 4th-8th given the injuries, hopefully a lot fitter come the second half of the season/finals time and gives us a chance to go deep.

Its just a matter of staying afloat til we get some troops back, if we have a winning record at the mid point of the season I'll be happy.
 
Got a bad feeling that injuries are going to cruel GWS this season.

Was thinking 13th but with this year's draw, I'll bump it up to 11th.

I reckon we'll be playing catch-up all season with a poor start due to so many of out best unavailable.
 
Kingsley’s got a 100% record getting us into the finals, during his 3 years as our coach. Whilst his finals record has not been as good as hoped, we should still make the expanded top 10 playoffs. Last year we had the 2nd best home and away season in our entire history, winning 16 games (same as 2016 but with an extra game in the season). We will have a far better idea after the first 4 matches with games against Hawks, Bulldogs, Saints and Collingwood (all teams tipped by the market to make the top 10). With our appalling injuries, a 2-2 record will be a good outcome.
 
FWIW Network 9 in its predictions for the season has us missing out due to our injury woes, with the market having us coming 11th.

6. Giants succumb to injury woes​

Last year's 'year from hell' injury team was clearly Essendon. As of early March, GWS looks the clear frontrunner for that undesirable title.

They already have the hardest fixture every year with travel and now they will be without Tom Green for the year, Sam Taylor for the first chunk of the season, Josh Kelly, Darcy Jones, Toby Bedford, Leek Aleer, Brent Daniels and Toby McMullin.

It's hard to know who to trust in that GWS midfield. Clayton Oliver is a case of 'believe it when you see it' and too much will be left to Finn Callaghan without Green and Kelly.

It might be a bit of a reset year for the Giants, after a few narrow misses at a premiership; and that might not be the worst thing for Adam Kingsley's group.

 
Orange crush said:
I think we only win one by catching fire in a bottle … the afl have set things up for us to do well but not too well …. That’s where the young guys come to the fore and lead us to the promised land
Click to expand...
I strongly agree with this - with our turnover and the aging out of the OGs, we really need four to six of the kids to step up and prove to be stars to keep us up the pointy end. If they all do it this year, that'd be the one way we're in with a sniff.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

At the beginning of the season, I thought a 2 win-2 loss record (or more optimistically a 3-1 record) before the bye would have been a good outcome, given that the 4 teams we were playing were all contenders for finals. Given the horrendous injuries we have had, I think a 1-3 record is reasonable although the way we were comprehensively beaten by the Dogs was concerning.

The next 6 games we play after the bye will be crucial. We are playing 4 relatively “easier” teams that we should win against (Richmond, North, West Coast and Essendon), although North and the Eagles are worryingly playing well for parts of the game and eking out wins. Interspersed between these games, are matches against genuine Premiership contenders - Sydney Swans and Gold Coast. With our players returning from injuries and a bye week to rejuvenate and refocus, I think we should reasonably be looking at winning at least 4 of these 6 games, with a 5 win - 5 loss overall record at the end of the first 10 rounds of the fixture? This will mean we are still on track to make the 10 team final series, and after that who knows?
 
Last edited:
We will end this round in the 16th position in the AFL ladder - during Kingsley’s tenure as our coach we have never ever been this low at the end of a round. This is also our (equal) worst start to the season under Kingsley. In 2023 we had a similar 1 win-3 loss start in Kingsley’s inaugural year, but for those looking for encouraging signs, we finished strongly and just missed out on a grand final by 1 point to the eventual premiers. With a stretch of games against “easier” teams coming up and where we will start as strong favourites, this should hopefully be as bad as it gets for us in terms of our ladder standings this year?
 
MelbourneGWS said:
We will end this round in the 16th position in the AFL ladder - during Kingsley’s tenure as our coach we have never ever been this low at the end of a round. This is also our (equal) worst start to the season under Kingsley. In 2023 we had a similar 1 win-3 loss start in Kingsley’s inaugural year, but for those looking for encouraging signs, we finished strongly and just missed out on a grand final by 1 point to the eventual premiers. With a stretch of games against “easier” teams coming up and where we will start as strong favourites, this should hopefully be as bad as it gets for us in terms of our ladder standings this year?
Click to expand...
I agree.

Kingsley also alluded to something during an end of game presser, that what they're doing is not yet being reflected on field yet. Gives me optimism that the team might go on a bit of a run but we'll have to wait and see.
 
Based on the AFL website’s analysis of the fixtures for the next 10 rounds, the worst is behind us? We had the 5th hardest fixture of all clubs so far, but will soon have the 7th easiest/ 8th easiest games over the 10 rounds. And Kingsley has previously been good in the latter rounds of the season as well.

gws-giants.jpg

R7: v North Melbourne, Corroboree Group Oval Manuka
R8: v Gold Coast, People First Stadium
R9: v Essendon, Engie Stadium
R10: v West Coast, Optus Stadium
R11: v Brisbane, Engie Stadium

Current ladder position: 14th (2-4)
Degree of difficulty OR-R6: 8.8 (equal fifth hardest)
Degree of difficulty R7-11: 10 (12th hardest)
Upcoming games against current top 10: 3
Upcoming interstate trips: 3
Degree of difficulty R12-16: 10 (11th hardest)

www.afl.com.au

Every club's upcoming fixture ranked, from toughest to easiest

Check out your club's run of fixtures across the next five weeks
www.afl.com.au www.afl.com.au
 
Analysis and rating for each club by the AFL website with 6 of 23 games completed - the “quarter 1” report card. Clayton is the standout player and in contention for All Australian (with Whitfield and Callaghan). Whilst still in contention, the next series of games (to halftime using their analogy) will tell us if we are in the hunt.

26_0134_Editorial-GFX_Straps-Badge-Refresh_GWS_FA-1x.jpg

Best-and-fairest leader: Clayton Oliver
Most improved player: Harvey Thomas
All-Australian contenders: Clayton Oliver, Lachie Whitfield, Finn Callaghan
Lowest point: The 81-point demolition by the Bulldogs in round one, a week after they themselves demolished Hawthorn in a massive boilover, showed the Giants' system break down completely. That and all the injuries, particularly the shattering pre-season ACL to Tom Green, just when it looked like he was ready to explode.
Biggest surprise: Phoenix Gothard’s breakout has been a season-saver. Following a summer of injury chaos, he has emerged as the Giants' most consistent forward-pressure threat, stabilising a structure that appeared set to collapse.
Biggest watch: The disconnect between effort and execution is most evident in the Giants' wayward goal-kicking. While Adam Kingsley's side consistently generates scoring opportunities, the lack of a clinical finisher is stalling their momentum. Without improved accuracy, they will continue to beat themselves.

Q1 rating: 5 out of 10. The Giants have shown flashes of their potential, but their first six rounds have ultimately been defined by inconsistency, significant injuries, and a frustrating inability to capitalise on dominance. Sorely missing the structural importance of Green and Sam Taylor, a 2-4 record leaves them 14th on the ladder, leaving them well below pre-season expectations. However, the tools for a turnaround remain; if they can bridge the gap between their best and worst football, the second quarter of the season could spark a sharp internal lift and vault them back into finals contention. - Emily Patterson


www.afl.com.au

Every club's rating out of 10, All-Australian contenders and more

We give your club a rating out out 10 for the first quarter of the 2026 season, look at the All-Australian contenders and more
www.afl.com.au www.afl.com.au
 
Last edited:

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

In the back half of the season if we can get guys through the middle who can use their feet to get through the first layer of traffic then we can come home strong.
The high handball game can be beaten with strong come forward defence. However, if the guy with the ball in the middle can exit traffic by foot, everyone ahead of him benefits.
An example of this was when Finn was out of the team last year and when he came back, you could see the immediate difference in our ball movement.
This is why I think Toby has not had much of an impact in the midfield.
Once we moved Snooze out of the midfield last year we were a top 4 clearance team. I don’t think we need Toby through there too much… we have Clayton as a pure ball winner. We need guys who can use their feet to get through the first layer.
Stringer and Daniels do this. Finn definitely does it… Toby doesn’t.
I think this is crucial for our team’s performance.
That said, I would have this as our back half team assuming everyone is fit and firing*
Idun Taylor Fonti
Whitfield Buckley Ash
Thomas Binga Angwin
Greene Cads Stringer
Snooze Hogan Jones
Madden Callaghan Clarry

Aleer Laverde Angove Gothard (whoever is most in form out of Cogs, XOH)

HH is so lucky to still be in the team… he needs a spell.
I’m a huge fan of Angove and how his attributes suit our game. Him on the right win and Angwin on the left is our future. Harvey should be in the midfield.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'd agree with most of what you've said and proposed there.

My frustration is with not fixing the woes of the midfield, although made more difficult with many of our injuries being to the guys we have with speed, which is an issue. I still think we need - in the absence of Tom Green - a second player who can get his hands on the ball first, as Clarry can't do it all for 100% of the game. But then we need guys with a burst of speed to take the ball out - Callaghan our #1 proponent, Binga is our other guy who has done that for us. We are also missing guys from the list who can do this, but working with who we have, I agree Harvey Thomas should be at least given a run there. Plenty of small yet highly effective mids!
 
Giant Strides said:
I'd agree with most of what you've said and proposed there.

My frustration is with not fixing the woes of the midfield, although made more difficult with many of our injuries being to the guys we have with speed, which is an issue. I still think we need - in the absence of Tom Green - a second player who can get his hands on the ball first, as Clarry can't do it all for 100% of the game. But then we need guys with a burst of speed to take the ball out - Callaghan our #1 proponent, Binga is our other guy who has done that for us. We are also missing guys from the list who can do this, but working with who we have, I agree Harvey Thomas should be at least given a run there. Plenty of small yet highly effective mids!
Click to expand...
The idea of ‘big bodied mid’ is outdated and too me has always been overhyped. Quick (with repeat speed), agile, skilful and a good decision maker are the qualities required. In saying that, if you are strong in clearance and have good hands, you can play a role through there. Eg Clarry.
Balance is the key.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Similar threads

M
    • Like
  • Poll Poll
Prediction Where will we finish at the end of the 2025 Home & Away season
3 4 5 6 7
Replies
167
Views
9K
MelbourneGWS
M
Battlepants
    • Sad
    • Wow
Injuries 2026
3 4 5 6 7
Replies
160
Views
6K
Giant YoYo
Giant YoYo
M
    • Like
    • Love
News GWS Giants membership 2026
Replies
4
Views
259
Callums_Guns
Callums_Guns
Giant Strides
    • Like
2026 Game Preview Writers - Expression of Interest
Replies
8
Views
264
Giant Strides
Giant Strides
Giant Strides
MVP 2026 MVG - Round 7 vs Kangas
Replies
9
Views
148
Giant Strides
Giant Strides
Orangeutan
    • Like
  • Locked
Preview 2026 Round 3 GWS vs Collingwood - Marvel Stadium, Friday 27 March 2026, 7:40pm
2 3 4
Replies
81
Views
2K
johnjohnjohn
J
Giant Strides
MVP 2026 MVG - Round 6 vs Swans
Replies
9
Views
190
GWS Goose
GWS Goose

Remove this Banner Ad

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Back
Top Bottom