The GIANTS have tightened their grip on a top-four finish as spearhead Jesse Hogan returned to haunt his former side in a rollicking nine-point victory over Fremantle at ENGIE Stadium.
Coleman Medal leader Hogan did the damage with six goals but it was livewire forward Brent Daniels that sparked the GIANTS to a 15.11 (101) to 14.8 (92) triumph on Saturday afternoon that leaves the Dockers’ finals hopes hanging by a thread.
The GIANTS had to withstand a brave Dockers’ challenge but held on to clinch a club record-equalling seventh consecutive win and move closer to sealing a double chance.
The pair of finals hopefuls went blow-for-blow through a gripping final term until Hogan was awarded a critical 50m penalty when Bailey Banfield shoved the GIANTS’ forward after a mark outside the arc.
Hogan kicked truly from the edge of the goalsquare with less than three minutes remaining to secure the four points and move to 67 majors for the season to equal the GIANTS’ club record.
The Dockers were within eight points at the last change and gave the GIANTS a huge scare late but are still to overrun a side in the final term this season and now need other results to go their way to clinch a finals berth.
Daniels stood out as a devastatingly creative forward while booting three goals of his own, and making as much impact further up the ground as he gathered 29 disposals and seven clearances.
The zippy forward booted a clever checkside goal in the opening term then bettered it with a long bomb from the edge of the centre square on the cusp of half-time, and was pivotal in all areas to also finish with 13 tackles.
Tom Green (40 disposals, 13 clearances) was immense around the stoppages and stepped up in the second half, while Stephen Coniglio (24) and Josh Kelly (22) put recent injury concerns behind them to fine-tune for a finals campaign.
Lachie Whitfield continued his stellar form with 26 polished possessions and combined well with Lachie Ash (20) as the duo moved the ball sublimely out of defence.
But the GIANTS will be sweating on the MRO looking closely at an Ash tackle on Dockers midfielder Hayden Young in the second term.
Fremantle is now on the brink of paying a huge price for not quite getting over the line in three narrow defeats on the trot, and now needs to beat Port Adelaide to keep its finals hopes alive.
Dockers ball magnet Andrew Brayshaw gathered 41 disposals with nine clearances, while Caleb Serong (24, 10) was able to shake the close checking of Toby Bedford and booted two goals while spending long periods forward.
Michael Frederick finished with three goals as Patrick Voss and Sam Sturt both booted two, but the Dockers are now at real risk of finishing with a wasted season that promised much more.
GIANTS 4.4 6.7 11.9 15.11 (101)
FREMANTLE 3.2 8.4 10.7 14.8 (92)
GOALS
GIANTS: Hogan 6, Daniels 3, Greene 2, Cadman, Jones, Briggs, Ward
Fremantle: Frederick 3, Sturt 2, Voss 2, Serong 2, Fyfe, Jackson, Switkowski, Amiss, Sharp
BEST
GIANTS: Daniels, Hogan, Green, Coniglio, Whitfield, Kelly, Callaghan
Fremantle: Brayshaw, Serong, Young, Frederick, Ryan, Clark
INJURIES
GIANTS: Nil
Fremantle: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
GIANTS: Conor Stone (replaced Toby McMullin in the fourth quarter)
Fremantle: Nathan O’Driscoll (replaced Nat Fyfe in the fourth quarter)
Crowd: 10,801 at ENGIE Stadium
