The GIANTS will play on ANZAC Day for just the second time in club history as they host the Lions in a blockbuster at Manuka Oval on Thursday night.
Match Details
GIANTS v Lions
Thursday, April 25 at 7:30pm
Manuka Oval | Ngunnawal Country
Milestone
Star defender Jack Buckley will celebrate his 50th AFL game against the Lions on Thursday.
What it Means for the GIANTS
The GIANTS will be out to return to the winners’ list against the Lions after their record-breaking start to 2024 came to an end last week with a 19-point loss to Carlton at Marvel Stadium.
Prior to being beaten by the Blues, the GIANTS opened their 2024 campaign with five straight wins, the most victories to start a season in club history.
Up by 20 points in the third term, the GIANTS were blitzed by a run of six goals in 14 minutes by the Blues on Saturday who went on to run out 17.15 (117) to 15.8 (98) winners.
The first loss of the season was compounded by one-match suspensions to skipper Toby Greene and star forward Jesse Hogan for separate incidents in the clash, with their availability against the Lions pending the outcome of Tuesday night’s tribunal after the club challenged both rulings.
Still sitting third on the AFL table after a blistering start to the season, the GIANTS will look to regain their best form against the Lions as they return to the nation’s capital where they registered a thrilling one-point win over the Saints just two weeks ago.
Thursday’s match is just the second-ever ANZAC Day fixture for the GIANTS, with the club having previously hosted the Suns at Manuka Oval in 2015.
The Opposition
The Lions will head to Canberra still searching for their best form of 2024 following last year’s brilliant run to the grand final.
Opening the season with three straight losses, the Lions roared back into action with successive wins over the Kangaroos and Demons in rounds four and five, before falling short to the Cats by 26 points at the Gabba last weekend.
Sitting 12th at 2-4 entering Thursday’s game, the Lions will be hoping stars Lachie Neale (28 touches, seven clearances) and Dayne Zorko (26 touches, two goals) can continue their strong seasons after big games in the loss to the Cats.
Recent History
Recent history has not been kind to the GIANTS who have lost the last five matches against the Queenslanders, having not beaten Brisbane since a three-point semi-final win in 2019.
The last encounter between the sides saw the Lions register a 21-point win over the GIANTS, coincidentally at Thursday’s venue of Manuka Oval.
Missing superstar Tom Green through suspension, the GIANTS trailed by 19 points following a strong start from the Lions and were unable to make up any ground as the visitors ran out with a 16.12 (108) to 13.9 (87) win.
Key Match-Up: Stop Charlie
If the GIANTS are to tame the Lions and register their sixth win of the season, then stopping livewire Charlie Cameron is a must.
One of the competition’s most dangerous small forwards, Cameron has proved a thorn in the GIANTS’ side in recent times, kicking 10 goals across the past two clashes, including a monster haul of seven in their most recent outing.
Putting on a show for his home crowd in Brisbane, Cameron ignited the Lions to victory in the round six clash last year as he finished with seven goals from 15 disposals and six marks in a best-on-ground display.
With Harry Perryman and Connor Idun potentially set to match up on Cameron on Thursday, their ability to curtail the star forward will be crucial to a GIANTS win on ANZAC Day.
GIANTS Player to Watch
Jack Buckley will celebrate his first major game milestone on Thursday as the resilient defender notches up his 50th AFL game in the ANZAC Day clash.
Tasked with taking down the opposition’s best key forwards, Buckley will likely spend his milestone looking to stop one of the Lions’ key forward duo of Joe Daniher or Eric Hipwood.
Drafted to the club as a Category B Rookie in 2017, the Sydneysider overcame more than 600 days on the sidelines following a serious ACL injury in 2021 to become an integral piece of the GIANTS’ defence and one of the AFL’s best key defenders.
In the Mix
Several GIANTS are pressing their AFL selection claims through strong VFL form. Tall forward Max Gruzewski and livewire small forward Darcy Jones continue to impress in the VFL and are two potential debutants who could be called upon if Greene and Hogan’s bans are upheld, while Toby McMullin, Nick Haynes, Lachlan Keeffe, Harry Rowston , Conor Stone, Ryan Angwin and Josh Fahey lead a host of GIANTS pressing their claims with solid VFL form.
Team Selection
The GIANTS will name their team to take on the Lions at 6:20pm on Wednesday at gwsgiants.com.au.
Rehab Report
Get a full injury update ahead of Thursday’s match with the Lions here.
Where to Watch
Thursday’s match will be shown live in NSW and the ACT on the Seven Network, with the pre-game live from Manuka Oval from 7pm on 7mate and the match to be shown live on Channel 7 from 7:30pm. The game will also be live on Fox Footy and Kayo nationally.
Social Media
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