After three wins in its first two seasons, Greater Western Sydney earned the unwanted mantle as an ‘easy beat’.

In 2014, four wins from 18 games isn’t a record any team would brag about, but the Giants’ improvement has been far greater than the ladder suggests.

Simply looking at their percentage is illustrative of that; 46.2 per cent in 2012, 51 per cent in 2013 and 73 per cent this season. Leon Cameron’s team is starting to come of age and while they’re still a long way from the top, the foundations are in place.

The Giants have lost five in a row, but when you consider they were right in the game until late against Richmond and pushed Geelong all the way to a seven-point loss a week earlier, their form-line warrants respect.




Some have suggested GWS put the cue in the rack, with Jeremy Cameron (ankle), Lachie Whitfield (shoulder/foot), Tim Mohr (knee), Stephen Coniglio (thumb) and Tom Scully (knee) among those ending their seasons prematurely. But the last two performances indicate the Giants are desperate to end the year on a good note.



With a young, but talented on-ball brigade, they’ll look to push run the Kangaroos off their legs.

While Scully was the man in the spotlight upon joining the club, Callan Ward has arguably been the Giants’ best player since his move from the Bulldogs.



Dylan Shiel and Adam Treloar are strong at the contest, while Toby Greene has plenty to prove after an off-field discretion.

North will need to be wary of twin towers Jonathon Patton and Tom Boyd too. The likes of Scott Thompson and Michael Firrito have had their struggles with the true power forwards at times, and will rely heavily on support from Lachlan Hansen dropping back.

At 197 and 201 centimetres respectively, Patton and Boyd are quietly building. Will Hoskin-Elliott adds another point of difference in an inexperienced, but dangerous attack.

With Shane Mumford playing one of the best seasons of his career and the experience of Heath Shaw and Phil Davis in defence, what may have been penned in as a win in previous years now looms as a danger-game for the Roos.



The Giants would love nothing more than to record an upset in the nation’s capital.