Where and When:  Sunday, May 22 at 2:10pm, GIANTS Stadium   

Last time they met:  
 
It was the GIANTS who came away with the chocolates last time these two sides met, with an undermanned GIANTS holding on for an important 16-point victory over the Eagles at GIANTS Stadium in round 10, 2021. The GIANTS moved into the top eight with their fifth win in seven matches, with the 13.15 (93) to 11.11 (77) victory. In his first game as stand-in captain, Josh Kelly led from the front with 25 disposals (13 contested), while the in-form midfield group of Tom Green (27 disposals, two goals), Tim Taranto (26 touches), Jacob Hopper (28) and Callan Ward (29) were all influential, supported by Shane Mumford and Matt Flynn in their first game rucking together. 

Broadcast:  

Sunday’s match will be shown live on the Seven Network including 7mate in NSW and the ACT as well as Fox Footy and Kayo nationally from 2pm. The match can also be heard on the following radio stations in Sydney this week: SEN’s AFL Nation, Triple M and ABC. For the latest television and radio broadcast guide, click here.  
 
What it means for the GIANTS:  

The GIANTS are coming off the back of a big two weeks following the departure of senior coach Leon Cameron last Sunday. They’re currently sitting on two wins, seven losses and will be eager to bounce back in a big way this weekend under the guidance of new interim coach Mark McVeigh. It'll be the first time in almost a decade the team will be led by a new voice on game day, with McVeigh expected to put his own spin on things as he tries to turn the GIANTS’ season around. The team returns to GIANTS Stadium for the round 10 clash, in what is just the third game of the season at GIANTS Stadium, and first time since early March they’ve had consecutive weeks of no travel. It’ll also be a significant occasion for the entire AFL community as the league kicks off Sir Doug Nicholls Round this weekend.   
 
Where’s the opposition at? 
 
It's been a difficult start to the Eagles’ 2022 season, currently sitting at 1-8 and on the bottom of the ladder. The club are in the midst of an availability crisis with several of their key players still unavailable for selection. The Eagles expect captain Luke Shuey and experienced midfielder Andrew Gaff to return against the GIANTS, while forward Josh Kennedy (knee soreness) and premiership captain Shannon Hurn (calf) have been ruled out. Star forward Liam Ryan is out with a one-match suspension following a high bump on Demon Jake Bowey, while young defender Luke Foley will miss because of concussion. West Coast are coming off a 74-point loss to the undefeated Melbourne. 
 
Player watch:  
 
His efforts aren’t always be visible on the stats sheet, but Sam Taylor has been a shining light for the GIANTS this season. With Phil Davis going down with injury in round two, the 23-year-old has been a beacon of strength down back, taking on – and in most cases beating – some of the league’s best forwards in the competition. Outgoing Senior Coach Leon Cameron raved about Taylor’s potential in his final press conference – definitely a player that all GIANTS fans can get excited about.  

In the Mix: 

It will be an interesting first team selection for McVeigh with a new coaching regime often leading to new faces and a change of style. Youngsters Conor Stone and Finn Callaghan have been ruled out with injury. The GIANTS’ VFL side suffered their first loss of the season last week but James Peatling (27 disposals, five tackles), Jacob Wehr (18 disposals, eight marks) and Jarrod Brander (22 disposals, 12 marks) all impressed. Jesse Hogan was a late out with illness last week and could slot straight back into the side. 

The GIANTS have started their new era under Mark McVeigh in style with a 52-point thumping of West Coast at GIANTS Stadium.

The GIANTS outclassed the undermanned Eagles from the opening bounce to give McVeigh the best possible start as interim coach with a 21.12 (138) to 13.8 (86) victory on Sunday afternoon.

The Eagles will also be sweating on the fitness of Luke Shuey after their captain was substituted out of the match in the final term.

Both teams were missing several stars, especially after the GIANTS made nine changes to their team from last week, but the hosts settled quicker with four unanswered goals in the opening nine minutes that set the tone for the match.

The GIANTS went on to post their biggest first-half score since round four, 2016 - and their second-highest ever - to lead 14.3 to 5.4 at the main break.

The most identifiable change made by McVeigh and the coaching group that now includes his former Essendon teammates James Hird and Dean Solomon, was to switch Harry Himmelberg from the forward line to defence.

Himmelberg looked comfortable in the backline and enjoyed the freedom to launch some torpedoes when kicking in after behinds, with one long bomb in the second term flying beyond the centre circle.

He was also able to add to the 17 goals he had already booted this season, after a 50m penalty on the wing set up a shot from the arc that Himmelberg slotted.

With Himmelberg pushed to the backline, Jarrod Brander spent more time on the wing in his third match for the GIANTS since being delisted by the Eagles at the end of last season.

Brander finished with 16 disposals and a goal against the club that drafted him from the GIANTS Academy with a first-round pick in 2017.

Co-captain Stephen Coniglio starred in an onball role with 36 disposals at 92 per cent efficiency, while fellow co-captain Josh Kelly (29 disposals) continued his strong form in the GIANTS' midfield.

The GIANTS shared the goals around, with youngster James Peatling kicking three majors and six players, including Toby Greene and Jesse Hogan, finishing with two.

Tim Kelly (23 disposals) and Jack Redden (20) battled hard in the Eagles midfield and Alex Witherden (18) looked to provide some run out of defence.

Andrew Gaff made a slow start on his return to the West Coast line-up with only five disposals in the first half before spending more time on ball to finish with 19 touches.

The GIANTS face a tougher test when they take on Brisbane at the Gabba on Saturday, while the Eagles face the Western Bulldogs at home.

You can't keep a good goalkicker down

One of Mark McVeigh's first moves was shifting Harry Himmelberg from the familiar environs of the GIANTS' forward line down to full-back, looking certain to end one of football's longest goalkicking streaks among active players. Himmelberg looked comfortable in his new role, even running out of the goal square and launching a 70 metre torpedo that sailed past the centre circle in the second quarter. However, you can take a man out of the forward line but you can't take the forward line out of the man, and Himmelberg managed to get within range courtesy of a mark and 50m penalty later in the same term. He wasn't going to let the opportunity pass and slotted a bomb from outside the arc.

The Eagles have hit a new low

Saturday's result leaves West Coast with just one win from the first 10 games, a feat the club has only achieved once before, in 1989, when it took until round 12 to notch a second victory. Worse for the Eagles is the way they have been losing - big! They sit on the bottom rung of the ladder with a percentage of just 51.5.

Bombers fans will already be starting petitions

The GIANTS' big win will have the locals smiling, as well as starting many people thinking in the north of Melbourne, especially around the Essendon neighbourhood. With the Bombers struggling and Ben Rutten feeling plenty of pressure bearing down on his shoulders, watching the cameras pan up to the GIANTS coaches box and seeing Mark McVeigh sitting alongside James Hird and Dean Solomon would have Essendon fans thinking 'what if?' It's only one win and against the 18th-placed team, but when a favourite son shows some form the fans get very keen to get him home. And when it's three favourite sons ...

GIANTS                                       7.3    14.3    17.7    21.12 (138)
WEST COAST                              4.1     5.4     9.5     13.8 (86)

GOALS

GIANTS: Peatling 3, Bruhn 2, de Boer 2, Green 2, Greene 2, Hogan 2, Sproule 2, Brander, Hill, Himmelberg, Perryman, Riccardi, Wehr
West Coast: Winder 3, Cripps 2, Dixon 2, Waterman 2, Clark, Darling, Duggan, Shuey, 

BEST

GIANTS: Coniglio, Perryman, Peatling, Kelly, Green, Himmelberg
West Coast: Kelly, McGovern, Redden, Cripps

INJURIES

GIANTS: Nil
West Coast: Shuey (TBC)

MEDICAL SUBS

GIANTS: Jake Stein (unused)
West Coast: Brady Hough, replaced Luke Shuey in the fourth quarter