The GIANTS blew away Melbourne at the home of football on Sunday afternoon with a 26-point win off the back of three strong quarters at the MCG.
The GIANTS entered their Sunday afternoon clash with Melbourne having won just two out of 16 games at the MCG.
They ended up 26-point winners in a comprehensive display, all but putting to bed their hoodoo at the venue that hosts the Grand Final.
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Melbourne kicked just one goal in the first half as the GIANTS ran out the contest to deliver a 14.10 (94) to 10.8 (68) victory.
The statistics were lopsided at the main break. The GIANTS led disposals (204-136), contested possessions (72-55) and inside-50s (33-16).
Plenty of credit should be given to the GIANTS. Having struggled at the ground they may return to in September, they seemed to have fixed whatever had been plaguing them there.
Josh Kelly led the way, racking up 31 disposals, while Tim Taranto (32) and Jacob Hopper (23) made their contributions in the clinches.
Up front, the trio of Jeremy Cameron, Harry Himmelberg and Jeremy Finlayson continued chugging along, meshing well and giving the GIANTS' potency.
One play which displayed their cohesion came during the second term. Toby Greene sent a long ball to Himmelberg's advantage out the back, but instead of going for the mark, he opted to tap it into Cameron's path, which the Coleman Medal leader duly collected and put through.
Himmelberg kicked one goal in the first half before filling his boots to end with a career-best haul of five in his 50th AFL game.
The list of scalps Matt de Boer has taken includes Dustin Martin and Patrick Dangerfield, and Clayton Oliver can be added to that list, having been kept to 17 disposals.
The GIANTS' backline looked largely untroubled. Young gun Sam Taylor even found time to go forward and nail his first career goal in his 18th game.
As if the opening half wasn't hard enough to watch for Dees fan, the game became downright ugly in the third term, resembling a training drill at times.
It took until the 17-minute mark of the third quarter for them to record their second goal, via Jeff Garlett.
MEDICAL ROOM
Melbourne: Ruckman Max Gawn looked to dislocate the ring finger on his left hand in the third term, but had it put back in and returned to the field. Backman Harrison Petty went down to the rooms and had his left knee strapped. Co-captain Nathan Jones and key forward Tom McDonald were involved in separate incidents on a wing, seconds apart from each other. McDonald looked in more strife after landing awkwardly in a marking contest, hobbling off and looking proppy, while he tried to jog along the boundary line before limping downstairs, while Jones went down to the rooms after a cut to his nose. Both made their way back.
GIANTS: Midfielder Stephen Coniglio looked to have copped a corkie in a Clayton Oliver tackle during the second term, and was on the exercise bike. Defender Sam Taylor also had a stint on the bike after Coniglio. Both played the game out.
NEXT UP
The GIANTS are back home at GIANTS Stadium next Saturday afternoon, to face a Gold Coast side that has lost six in a row. Later that afternoon, Melbourne will hope to have tall defender Jake Lever back from a left knee reconstruction to take on his former team Adelaide at TIO Stadium in Darwin.
MELBOURNE 1.1 1.3 3.6 10.8 (68)
GWS GIANTS 2.5 6.8 12.9 14.10 (94)
GOALS
Melbourne: Baker 2, T.McDonald 2, Hunt, Garlett, Petracca, Lockhart, Stretch, Spargo
GIANTS: Himmelberg 5, Cameron 3, Whitfield 2, Taylor, Finlayson, Coniglio, Kelly
BEST
Melbourne: Gawn, Hore, C.Wagner
GIANTS: Kelly, Hopper, de Boer, Taranto, Himmelberg, Haynes
INJURIES
Melbourne: Salem (concussion) replaced in selected side by Spargo
GIANTS: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Haussen, Gavine, Chamberlain
Official crowd: 20,023 at the MCG
