The GIANTS will look to continue their late-season surge in a finals-shaping clash with the Dockers at ENGIE Stadium.  

GIANTS v Dockers 
Saturday, August 17 at 1:45pm 
ENGIE Stadium | Wangal Country  

What it Means for the GIANTS   

The GIANTS (14-7) are gaining momentum at the right time of the season and will enter Saturday’s clash with the Dockers riding a six-match winning streak after a huge 18-point win over the red-hot Lions at the Gabba last week.  

Ending the Lions’ own nine-match winning streak, the GIANTS found themselves down by 30 points at quarter-time and still down by 15 early in the final term but came storming home with the final six goals of the game to register an impressive 13.4 (82) to 8.16 (64) victory.  

Now sitting third on the ladder, the GIANTS need to win at least one of their final two games (Lions and Bulldogs) to confirm a finals spot and potentially both to finish inside the top four and give themselves a double chance.   

If the GIANTS are victorious on Saturday, they will tie their club record set last year with seven straight wins.   

The Opposition       

The Dockers (12-8-1) sit in sixth place and will enter ENGIE Stadium in a fight to play finals after an upset loss to Geelong at Optus Stadium last week a bump in their road to September.  

Fremantle led early in the final term against the Cats but the visitors lifted late to hand the Dockers an 11-point defeat which has them now needing to win at least one of their last two games to guarantee a place in September. 

The visiting Dockers could welcome back a host of players to take on the GIANTS on Saturday, with their leading goalkicker Josh Treacy (knee) and ruckman Sean Darcy (soreness) both listed as tests to return. The club also confirmed dynamic forward Michael Waters will be available for selection after overcoming a hamstring injury.  

Recent History       

The uniqueness of the AFL fixture means that Saturday’s round 23 hit-out between the GIANTS and the Dockers will be the first meeting between the sides this season and the first since June last year.   

While the Dockers have won three of the last four meetings between the sides, it was the GIANTS who tasted victory in the most recent clash with a monster 70-point win over the Dockers at ENGIE Stadium in round 14 last year.  

Toby Greene starred with four goals in the win which helped keep the GIANTS’ finals dreams alive.  

Key Match-Up: Dashing defenders  

While it’s often the midfielders and the star forwards who get the plaudits, the GIANTS and the Dockers possess two of the competition’s most damaging defenders in Lachie Whitfield and Jordan Clark.  

Averaging 30.6 touches per game to be amongst the AFL leaders, Whitfield continued his brilliant season in last week’s win over the Lions with 25 touches at 84 per cent efficiency to help lead the GIANTS to their sixth straight win.  

Clark will also enter Saturday’s clash following another starring performance for the Dockers, with the speedy half-back collecting 28 touches, 10 marks and six rebound-50s in the tough loss to Geelong last week.  

Both firmly in All-Australian contention, whichever dashing defender can have the bigger impact on Saturday will go a long way to leading their side to victory as they both push to lock in a spot in September.  

GIANTS Player to Watch: Young Talent Time  

Former number one pick Aaron Cadman and exciting speed machine Darcy Jones defied their youth last week with a pair of powerful performances to help the Orange Tsunami storm past the Lions at the Gabba. 

With the game on the line against a Brisbane side who had won nine straight matches, Cadman and Jones stole the show late to combine for a brilliant five-goal final term to stun the Lions and their Gabba crowd. 

Following arguably the best outings of their young careers, similar performances from Cadman and Jones moving forward would be the icing on the cake for a GIANTS forward line led by the likes of Jesse Hogan, Toby Greene and Brent Daniels. 

In the Mix 

The GIANTS could gain some extra firepower for their clash with the Dockers, with key pair Stephen Coniglio and Kieren Briggs both expected to return pending they get through main training this week unscathed. 

Meanwhile many strong performers pushed their case in the VFL last week.  

Team Selection      

The GIANTS will name their team to take on the Dockers at 6:20pm on Thursday at gwsgiants.com.au.  

Rehab Report     

Get a full injury update ahead of Saturday’s match here.   

Where to Watch     

Saturday’s match will be shown live and free on Channel Seven in NSW and the ACT from 1:30pm as well as live on Fox Footy and Kayo nationally.  

Be part of the #BigBigSound in 2024 - For all the latest news, follow @GWSGIANTS on social media: Facebook, X (Twitter) and Instagram 

The GIANTS have tightened their grip on a top-four finish as spearhead Jesse Hogan returned to haunt his former side in a rollicking nine-point victory over Fremantle at ENGIE Stadium.

Coleman Medal leader Hogan did the damage with six goals but it was livewire forward Brent Daniels that sparked the GIANTS to a 15.11 (101) to 14.8 (92) triumph on Saturday afternoon that leaves the Dockers’ finals hopes hanging by a thread.

The GIANTS had to withstand a brave Dockers’ challenge but held on to clinch a club record-equalling seventh consecutive win and move closer to sealing a double chance.

The pair of finals hopefuls went blow-for-blow through a gripping final term until Hogan was awarded a critical 50m penalty when Bailey Banfield shoved the GIANTS’ forward after a mark outside the arc.

Hogan kicked truly from the edge of the goalsquare with less than three minutes remaining to secure the four points and move to 67 majors for the season to equal the GIANTS’ club record.

The Dockers were within eight points at the last change and gave the GIANTS a huge scare late but are still to overrun a side in the final term this season and now need other results to go their way to clinch a finals berth.

Daniels stood out as a devastatingly creative forward while booting three goals of his own, and making as much impact further up the ground as he gathered 29 disposals and seven clearances.

The zippy forward booted a clever checkside goal in the opening term then bettered it with a long bomb from the edge of the centre square on the cusp of half-time, and was pivotal in all areas to also finish with 13 tackles.

Tom Green (40 disposals, 13 clearances) was immense around the stoppages and stepped up in the second half, while Stephen Coniglio (24) and Josh Kelly (22) put recent injury concerns behind them to fine-tune for a finals campaign.

Lachie Whitfield continued his stellar form with 26 polished possessions and combined well with Lachie Ash (20) as the duo moved the ball sublimely out of defence.

But the GIANTS will be sweating on the MRO looking closely at an Ash tackle on Dockers midfielder Hayden Young in the second term.

Fremantle is now on the brink of paying a huge price for not quite getting over the line in three narrow defeats on the trot, and now needs to beat Port Adelaide to keep its finals hopes alive.

Dockers ball magnet Andrew Brayshaw gathered 41 disposals with nine clearances, while Caleb Serong (24, 10) was able to shake the close checking of Toby Bedford and booted two goals while spending long periods forward.

Michael Frederick finished with three goals as Patrick Voss and Sam Sturt both booted two, but the Dockers are now at real risk of finishing with a wasted season that promised much more.

GIANTS                                            4.4       6.7       11.9      15.11 (101)
FREMANTLE                                       3.2       8.4       10.7      14.8 (92)

GOALS

GIANTS: Hogan 6, Daniels 3, Greene 2, Cadman, Jones, Briggs, Ward
Fremantle: Frederick 3, Sturt 2, Voss 2, Serong 2, Fyfe, Jackson, Switkowski, Amiss, Sharp

BEST

GIANTS: Daniels, Hogan, Green, Coniglio, Whitfield, Kelly, Callaghan
Fremantle: Brayshaw, Serong, Young, Frederick, Ryan, Clark

INJURIES

GIANTS: Nil
Fremantle: Nil

SUBSTITUTES

GIANTS: Conor Stone (replaced Toby McMullin in the fourth quarter)
Fremantle: Nathan O’Driscoll (replaced Nat Fyfe in the fourth quarter)

Crowd: 10,801 at ENGIE Stadium