Jesse Hogan and Stephen Coniglio have fired for the GIANTS and given their finals hopes a huge boost with a 13-point victory over Hawthorn.
The GIANTS were unable to shake off a dogged Hawks outfit until Hogan earned a free kick and goaled with less than two minutes remaining to seal a 12.13 (85) to 10.12 (72) triumph at GIANTS Stadium.
The goal was Hogan's fourth as the outstanding forward on the field while Coniglio stood out with 30 disposals and three goals in a hard-fought contest.
Former captain Coniglio continued his stirring return to form as Finn Maginness restricted last week's matchwinner Josh Kelly to six disposals and Blake Hardwick kept Toby Greene goalless for the first time this season.
Another former GIANTS skipper Callan Ward (19 disposals) also stepped up in the midfield along with Finn Callaghan and Harry Perryman, while Kieren Briggs impressed in the ruck.
Onballer Tom Green (17, one goal) battled hard despite the Hawks finding an advantage at the stoppages, while Hogan and Jake Riccardi (three goals) made the most of the GIANTS' opportunities in the forward half.
A fifth win in six matches takes the GIANTS (8-8) to the brink of the top eight, while the Hawks (4-12) have now lost their past three matches despite being more competitive after back-to-back beltings.
While Maginness and Hardwick clamped down on the GIANTS' major weapons, Jai Newcombe (28 disposals, nine clearances), Conor Nash (27, five) and Will Day (26, three) made their mark in the midfield.
The brave Hawks threatened deep into the final term as they regularly found a way to burst away from the centre bounces and dominated those stoppages 17-6 throughout the contest.
Chad Wingard, Fergus Greene and Josh Ward each booted two goals for the Hawks, while their prized pick from the 2020 draft Denver Grainger-Barras spent plenty of time forward and kicked his first AFL goal.
The GIANTS will be on the road to face Adelaide on Saturday, while Hawthorn will look to snap its three-match losing streak against North Melbourne on Sunday.
Forward duo step up for GIANTS
As the GIANTS' defence stood tall at one end to keep Mitch Lewis goalless and Denver Grainger-Barras to just one major, Jesse Hogan and Jake Riccardi stepped up at the other. They combined for 7.4, and it could have been even more, and took seven marks inside 50.
GIANTS 5.3 7.9 9.13 12.13 (85)
HAWTHORN 3.4 7.7 8.8 10.12 (72)
GOALS
GIANTS: Hogan 4, Riccardi 3, Coniglio 3, Lloyd, Green
Hawthorn: Wingard 2, Ward 2, Greene 2, Worpel, Moore, Macdonald, Grainger-Barras
BEST
GIANTS: Coniglio, Taylor, Hogan, Briggs, Riccardi, Perryman
Hawthorn: Newcombe, Day, Amon, Hardwick, Maginness
INJURIES
GIANTS: Keeffe (hamstring), O'Halloran (hand)
Hawthorn: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
GIANTS: Nick Haynes (replaced Lachlan Keeffe in second quarter)
Hawthorn: Harry Morrison (replaced Jarman Impey in fourth quarter)
