The GIANTS have named a strong side for their NEAFL Elimination Final against the Aspley Hornets on Saturday.
There will be 16 AFL-listed GIANTS in the side with defenders Aidan Corr and Isaac Cumming included, while Dylan Buckley and Jack Buckley will make their returns from injury.
Corr and Cumming both played in the GIANTS’ round 23 AFL win over the Gold Coast Suns, but having both recently returned from injury, will use the NEAFL game to build match fitness ahead of the GIANTS’ AFL Elimination Final at GIANTS Stadium in a week’s time.
The clash at Voxton Oval - 30 minutes North of Brisbane – is the second between the two sides in 2019 and provides the GIANTS the opportunity to rebound from their 64-point round 16 defeat to the Hornets.
It’s also the first time the GIANTS have made the NEAFL finals since they won the premiership in 2016.
Nick Shipley, who was named on the wing in the NEAFL Team of the Year on Sunday, said the GIANTS are looking forward to making their finals return.
“It (the build-up) has been unreal so far. Everyone has gotten around us this week,” Shipley told neafl.com.au.
“It's been a few years since we have played in finals and it feels new again, so we're all excited. It's been great so far.
“I played in a couple of junior finals but never a senior one. The intensity and everything goes up a level and I'm really excited. I can't wait.”
While the GIANTS are hoping to get some payback by knocking Aspley out of the finals, Shipley knows from experience how tough the Hornets can be.
The GIANTS will also need to arrest a form slump that has seen them lose four of their past five games.
“Aspley beat us in contested ball last time we played, and they’ve got guys like Matty Payne and a lot of other experienced players, so we'll have to try and shut them down as much as possible,” he told neafl.com.au.
“Even though the results haven't gone our way it's been a good few weeks.
“We're still very young and we've been in games for patches but haven't been able to play four quarters.”
The GIANTS v Aspley Elimination Final will be live-streamed on the NEAFL’s YouTube channel; first bounce is at 12:00pm.
GIANTS v Aspley
Voxton Oval
Saturday August 31 at 12:00pm
FB: Aidan Corr, Connor Idun, Jake Stein
HB: Callum Brown, Matt Buntine, Isaac Cumming
C: Nick Shipley, Xavier O’Halloran, Tommy Sheridan
HF: Jack Buckley, Zach Sproule, Aiden Bonar
FF: Dylan Buckley, Nick Murray, James Peatling
Ruck: Kieren Briggs, Jye Caldwell, Jackson Hately
Interchange: Ed Perryman, Lachlan Squire, Harry Grant, Will Chandler
IN: Isaac Cumming, Jack Buckley, Dylan Buckley, Aidan Corr, Will Chandler
