While much has been made of the GIANTS’ three-pronged forward set up of Jeremy Cameron, Jeremy Finlayson and Harry Himmelberg, the GIANTS’ work to quell opposition scoring at the other end of the ground has been just as impressive.
Over the past six weeks, the GIANTS have boasted the stingiest defence in the AFL, averaging just 63 points conceded each week.
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During that time, they twice restricted opponents to scores of less than 50 – keeping Carlton to just 45 points in round nine and the Gold Coast Suns to 43 points in round 11.
The round 10 match against Melbourne looked to be going the same way, until a seven-goal final quarter saw the Demons post a total of 68.
The next best defences over that period have been Essendon and Geelong, who are both averaging 66 points against.
Importantly for the GIANTS, the defensive success has coincided with a strong attack – the team’s average score over the past six weeks has been 105, also the best in the AFL, despite scoring just 38 against Hawthorn in round eight.
Ladder leader Geelong slots into second place with 101 points on average over the past month and a half.
The recent form has seen the GIANTS rocket into second place on the ladder with a healthy percentage of 139 to be nipping at the Cats’ heels.
For the season as a whole, the GIANTS are ranked second in attack (just eight points behind Geelong) and third in defence (two points behind Fremantle and 26 behind Geelong).
The GIANTS will be looking to keep their strong form up when they take on the Adelaide Crows at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.