The GIANTS claimed their first win of the 2022 VFL season with an 18-point victory over Port Melbourne at Blacktown International Sportspark on Sunday afternoon. 

Finn Callaghan, Jake Stein and Jacob Wehr starred for the GIANTS as they held-off a spirited Port Melbourne side to record a 10.13 (73) to 7.13 (55) win.

Braydon Preuss pressed his claims for senior selection after a strong display in the ruck, registering a goal, 21 disposals and 41 hit-outs. 

GIANTS VFL coach Damian Truslove attributed the win to his side’s ability to play through tough conditions in Blacktown. 

“I’m really pleased with how we went about it against a really strong and mature team, especially in really tough conditions,” Truslove said. 

"We managed to score heavily from turnovers on the back end of our pressure, which was the most pleasing part."

Truslove shared his assessments of the AFL and VFL listed players who played in the match.

AFL Listed Players: 

9 Ryan Angwin 

12 disposals, 2 inside-50s 

Ryan's running patterns were outstanding to support the defence and he set up really well at the stoppages.

10 Jacob Wehr 

27 disposals, 11 marks

Our best winger on the day as far as finding the ball. Jacob's work rate to support the defence and drive us forward was brilliant.

11 Braydon Preuss

15 disposals, 41 hit-outs

I was really impressed with Braydon. He set the game up for us with his work in the ruck and his positioning off the ball helped keep the game in our front half.

17 Finn Callaghan

34 disposals, 9 inside-50s 

Finn found plenty of the ball through the middle and was very composed with the ball in hand. His gut running between contests was a real highlight.

02:02

VFL Showreel, Round 1: Finn Callaghan

Some of the action from Finn Callaghan in round one of the VFL season.

21 Leek Aleer 

10 marks, 5 tackles

He took 10 marks on the back of his really good positioning behind the ball. He attacked the opposition and was great with the ball in hand.

25 Lachlan Keeffe

1 goal, 8 marks, 16 disposals  

It was a really solid performance in defence from Lachlan. His communication was outstanding and is always so composed with the ball in hand. He kicked a great goal late in the fourth quarter which was a reward for his positioning across the ground.

29 Cameron Fleeton

20 disposals, 8 marks 

Really promising performance from Cam. He took eight marks and his positioning was also really good. He attacked the ball with aggression.

35 Will Shaw 

13 disposals, 2 tackles

Ran really good patterns as our small forward and worked really hard to support the defence. He gave himself the opportunity to hit the scoreboard and set up really well at the stoppages.

40 Adam Kennedy 

1 goal, 12 disposals 

Adam ran on top of the ground. He did a lot of selfless running to support the defence and was composed with the ball in hand. He kicked a great goal on the run.

42 Jake Stein 

1 goal, 29 disposals

Jake's in really good form. He played on their most dangerous forward and won that contest whilst still giving us great offensive drive.

45 Cooper Hamilton

7 disposals, 2 tackles

Cooper had a job on their best small forward and was really disciplined on that player. Was another player with really good drive off halfback.

46 Callum Brown 

7 disposals, 3 marks

Callum worked really hard in the forward half. His leading patterns were good, and I was really impressed pressure.

VFL Listed and Academy Players: 

Harry Grintell  

6 disposals, 2 marks

He was busy up forward. He helped bring the ball to ground and his chasing pressure was really good.

Sam Frost  

21 disposals, 10 marks

Sam had to play a couple of roles across the wing and half back. He had great patterns on the wing and had a fantastic last quarter getting 13 disposals.

Billy Clark  

23 disposals, 12 marks

He's a really solid defender. He helped our ball movement with his positioning and was fantastic in the air.

Ryan Hebron

4 goals, 14 disposals 

Ryan set the game up for us kicking four goals in the first quarter. He's so dangerous bringing the ball to ground and he went on to play a really solid defensive role in the second half.

Brodie Romensky

14 disposals, 3 tackles 

He was really tough and hard around the contest. He continues to improve his stoppage craft.

Max Monaghan 

16 disposals, 5 marks

Was lively up forward bringing the ball to ground and is continually working on his craft.

Josh Green 

18 disposals, 1 goal 

Josh played as our second ruckman and competed really well. He got to play more as a midfielder in the second half and was hard and tough around the contest.

Hamish Gilmore 

10 disposals, 6 marks

Hamish defended really well across halfback and was instrumental with the ball. Unfortunately, he hurt his knee and will be sidelined for a short period.

Leyton Chisholm  

1 goal, 14 disposals 

Similar to Brodie, he was tough and hard around the contest.

Alex Smout 

32 disposals, 12 marks

Found plenty of the ball through the middle. Really good gut running between contests and was extremely clean with the ball in hand.

Ethan Grace

7 disposals, 2 tackles

A 19-year-old from the GIANTS Academy, Ethan got his VFL opportunity off the back of his good form in the Academy. He ran really good offensively and will gain a lot from the experience at this level.

The GIANTS will take on Frankston in round two of the VFL season at Skybus Stadium at 7:05pm on Saturday night. The AFL will live stream every match of the VFL season at afl.com.au/stream-vfl.