When and Where: 

Sunday, August 27 at 6:10pm 
Marvel Stadium | Wurundjeri Country

What it Means for the GIANTS: 

Sitting eighth ahead of the clash with Carlton, the GIANTS’ finals fate comes down to two results this weekend.

Firstly, the GIANTS will play finals regardless of the outcome against Carlton if the Western Bulldogs (ninth) lose to Geelong at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday night.

However, if the ‘Dogs take down the Cats, the GIANTS must defeat Carlton in the final game of the round to be a part of the September action.

Furthermore, a win over the Blues could see the GIANTS finish as high as sixth and secure a home elimination final.

This would happen if both St Kilda (sixth) and Sydney (seventh) lose their respective games against Brisbane and Melbourne, as well as the GIANTS making up the 3.3 percentage gap on the Saints.

The GIANTS will enter Sunday’s potential do-or-die clash at the peak of their powers following their record-breaking 126-point win over Essendon at GIANTS Stadium on Saturday night.

Not only was it the biggest winning margin in GIANTS’ history, but their score of 25.12 (162) was the biggest ever posted by the club. The record-breaking feats didn’t end there, with full forward Jesse Hogan setting new career-highs for goals (nine) and marks (17), while Tom Green set a new career-high with 39 disposals against the Bombers.

Last Time We Met: 

It was the wayward Blues who got the four points when the sides last met in round three, with the visitors overcoming poor kicking to register a 9.20 (74) to 9.10 (64) win at GIANTS Stadium.

In a see-sawing contest, the Blues were almost made to pay for their wastefulness in front of goal until Charlie Curnow - as well as a contentious free kick - got the Blues over the line in the dying stages.
Tom Green (34 touches, seven clearances), Josh Kelly (30 touches, nine tackles and a goal), and Coniglio (29 disposals) were standouts in the loss, while Lachie Ash (30 disposals) and Lachie Whitfield (27 disposals) were at their rebounding best.

Blues skipper Patrick Cripps was instrumental for his side with a career-high 42 disposals. Sam Docherty (39 touches, 10 marks) was also prolific, while defender Nic Newman received plenty of plaudits after finishing with 24 touches as well restricting GIANTS skipper Toby Greene to just five disposals and one goal.

Where’s the Opposition at?  

After having lost six straight games at the conclusion of round 13, the Blues have since won nine in a row to launch not only into the top eight, but into premiership contention.

On the back of that run, the fifth-placed Blues are guaranteed to play finals regardless of Sunday night’s result.

Carlton booked itself a spot in September - and in doing so breaking a 10-year finals drought - with a gripping four-point come-from-behind win over Gold Coast last week.

The Blues overcame a 40-point deficit in the second term to storm home and register a stunning 13.13 (91) to 13.9 (87) victory.

Charlie Curnow (five goals) starred in the win, not only dominating up forward but also taking the game-saving mark in his defensive goal square to cut off the Suns’ final foray forward in the dying seconds. The Coleman Medal leader's five-goal haul took his season tally to 75 ahead of the final round clash with the GIANTS.

Nic Newman (31 disposals) was also impressive ahead of his likely matchup with Toby Greene, while George Hewett provided his typical grunt around the ball with 23 disposals (15 contested) and 10 tackles.

While a win over the GIANTS will secure fifth spot, a Blues loss could see them drop to as low as seventh if the Saints and Swans both register big wins this weekend.

GIANTS Player to Watch: 

GIANTS star Stephen Coniglio will line up for game number 200 against the Blues on Sunday.

The inaugural GIANT is firmly in All Australian contention following what has arguably been the best season of his 12-year career. The speedy, line-breaking on-baller is posting career high averages in several key categories, including disposals (28.4), inside 50s (4.8), score involvements (7.3), and metres gained (428m).

The vice-captain continued his stellar season in the win over the Bombers last weekend, finishing with 31 touches (at 74 per cent efficiency), eight clearances and a goal.

The 29-year-old will need to be at his damaging best once again on Sunday if the GIANTS are to take down the Blues. 

In the Mix:  

Several GIANTS will come into consideration to take on the Blues, with forward Xavier O’Halloran and defender Nick Haynes both set to be available to return.

O’Halloran has overcome a thumb injury that sidelined him for the past six matches and will be assessed following main training later in the week. The 23-year-old, who has kicked 11 goals in his 12 games this season, has spent the past six weeks running before being cleared to return to contact this week.

Meanwhile young midfielder Finn Callaghan will increase his training from Wednesday after the achilles soreness that has caused him to miss the past two matches has eased.

Ruck Braydon Preuss is also in full training after missing last week’s VFL match with general soreness after playing his first match of the season the previous weekend.

Zippy forward James Peatling (29 disposals, eight clearances, five tackles) could also come into consideration after yet another impressive performance at VFL level over the weekend. Likewise, number one pick Aaron Cadman did his chances of a recall no harm with three more goals on the weekend, taking his tally to 14 majors across his past three VFL games. Harry Rowston (19 disposals, four clearances), Conor Stone (19 disposals, one goal), and Ryan Angwin (17 disposals, six tackles) also impressed in the VFL last week. 

Rehab Report:

Get a full injury update ahead of Sunday’s clash with Carlton here.

Where to Watch: 

Sunday’s match will be shown live on Fox Footy and Kayo nationally and on 7 Mate in NSW and the ACT from 6pm.