The GIANTS have recorded their seventh win of the VFL season, defeating Box Hill by 31 points on Sunday afternoon at GIANTS Stadium.

Jarrod Brander was the stand-out performer for the GIANTS, who bounced back following a disappointing defeat against the Gold Coast prior to the bye round to claim a 14.7 (91) to 7.18 (60) win.

Will Shaw, Wade Derksen and Jake Riccardi were all impressive in front of goal, with Jake Stein, Braydon Preuss and Cooper Hamilton likely to come into contention for AFL selection this week.

Jacob Hopper (16 disposals, one goal), also impressed after making his long-awaited return to the field after being sidelined with a knee injury since the opening rounds of the AFL season.

GIANTS VFL coach Damian Truslove credited the win to his side’s strong opening quarter.

“It was a really pleasing result in challenging conditions,” Truslove said.

“Our opening quarter was outstanding, it put us in a great position, and we were able to slog it out for the rest of the contest.”

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

AFL Listed Players: 

2 Jacob Hopper

16 disposals, 1 goal

He was heavily tagged in what was his first game back after an extended period, but he but fought really well and had a strong performance around ground.

11 Braydon Preuss

16 disposals, 43 hit-outs, 1 goal

The dominate ruck on the ground, he worked hard and was aggressive around the contest.

26 Jake Riccardi

2 goals, 12 disposals

It was a tough day for a key forward in the wet, but he presented well at the ball and provided a lot of pressure in the forward half.

29 Cameron Fleeton

6 disposals, 3 marks

Started the game behind the ball really well and was heavily involved in our ball movement. Unfortunately he got injured in the second quarter and couldn’t continue after that.

31 Jarrod Brander

29 disposals, 10 marks

Another strong game on the wing. He found plenty of the ball and executed well in the wet.

32 Kieren Briggs

5 disposals, 30 hit-outs

An improved performance in the ruck. His follow up work was better and he showed a lot of aggression around the contest.

35 Will Shaw

3 goals, 13 disposals

One of his best performances this year. He worked hard in the front half of the ground and got rewarded with three really important goals.

42 Jake Stein

27 disposals, 8 marks

Played a fantastic role deep down back. He won the ball back on several occasions and was crucial in our ball movement out of the back half.

43 Cooper Hamilton

17 disposals, 4 tackles

Hard and tough for the entire contest. He got a knock early which restricted him a bit but he fought though the game really well.

45 Wade Derksen

2 goals, 11 disposals

He was really active in our front half and presented well at the ball. It was great to see him hit the scoreboard again.

VFL Listed and Academy Players:  

47 Josh Green

29 disposals, 6 tackles

A fantastic game in the midfield. His gut running around the ground was fantastic.  

48 Harry Grintell

16 disposals, 4 marks 

Played up forward and down back this week. We were especially pleased with his offensive drive off half-back.

49 Sam Frost  

16 disposals, 3 tackles

Another solid performance down back. He’s become a super reliable defender for us this year and is a great team-first player.

50 Billy Clark  

12 disposals, 3 tackles

Played on the wing and up forward this week. He didn’t find a lot of the ball but worked really hard up and down the ground.

51 Ryan Hebron

22 disposals, 1 goal

Played the majority of the game down back. He got involved with our ball movement and his leadership was crucial.

52 Brodie Romensky

9 disposals, 1 goal

Hard and tough inside the forward half, he put a lot of pressure on and played a really selfless role this week.

53 Bailey Stewart 

15 disposals, 7 tackles

He worked really hard around the stoppages and his tackling was a big feature this week.

57 Sebastian Quirk

13 disposals, 1 goal

It was his first game back after a good stint at the local level. He presented really well and put a lot of pressure on the opposition to prohibit their rebound.

59 Brad Rauter

11 disposals, 3 marks

A really solid lock down performance down back, he’ll continue to improve with more exposure at the level.

60 Leyton Chisholm

20 disposals, 1 goal

Hard and tough around the contest, his gut run was outstanding for the entire contest.

63 Euriah Hollard

13 disposals, 2 tackles

His first game for the club after some great performances in the NAB League this year. His positioning was great, as was his tackling pressure and intent.

66 Luke Fellows

17 disposals, 1 goal

Played on the wing this week. He ran hard up and down the ground to provide a great option.