Dylan Shiel headlines four inclusions for the GIANTS for their Canberra clash against the Crows on Saturday night.
Shiel (ankle), Tim Taranto (knee), Sam Reid (knee) and Ryan Griffen (hamstring) all missed Sunday’s big win over Carlton but return to the GIANTS’ 22 for the Saturday night blockbuster at UNSW Canberra Oval.
“Dylan Shiel’s done everything right and trained well yesterday,” coach Leon Cameron said.
“We were probably more concerned about him but he’s going really well.
“Taranto and Reid have done really well and Griffen’s had three weeks, we’ve sort of given him an extra week with his hamstring, so all four are ready to roll and take up their spot in the 22.
“Obviously with the
While the GIANTS re-gain four players from injury, they lose another four to the sidelines with Dawson Simpson (ankle), Toby Greene (hamstring), Brett Deledio (calf) and Sam Taylor (hamstring) all injured in last weekend’s win over the Blues.
The GIANTS are sitting in third on the ladder, and the Crows in 12th, but Leon Cameron is under no illusions about how tough the task will be on Saturday night.
“It’s an unbelievably challenging game against the Crows because clearly, they’ve probably had the wood over us over the last five or six years,” he said.
“We played well against them nine weeks ago when we played them over there but they’re going to be close to full strength, they were really good against Port, they were good against Melbourne, and they’re playing some good footy.
“They know it’s their last roll of the dice so they’re going to throw everything at us but equally we’ve got to throw everything at them too because we haven’t got any mortgage on our finals spot as well.
“We need to keep winning because if you lose you drop out, so we’ve been riding that fine line over the past month or two and we’ve got to ride it again this week.”
It’s the last chance for GIANTS fans in Canberra to see their team live this season with a huge crowd expected at the GIANTS’ home ground of UNSW Canberra Oval on Saturday.
“We expect a really strong crowd, by all reports ticket sales are going well,” Cameron said.
“Saturday night is a great spectacle there, we love playing at UNSW Canberra Oval and there’s no doubt there’ll be a fair few Crows supporters supporting their side - knowing it’s their last roll of the dice - and there’ll be lots of GIANTS supporters as we build every year.
“The atmosphere is going to be a cracker and the game’s going to match that.”
GIANTS v Adelaide Crows
Saturday, August 11 at
UNSW Canberra Oval
FB: Nick Haynes, Phil Davis, Adam Kennedy
HB: Sam Reid, Adam Tomlinson, Matt Buntine
C: Lachie Whitfield, Callan Ward, Josh Kelly
HF: Tim Taranto, Harry Himmelberg, Jacob Hopper
FF: Zac Langdon, Jeremy Cameron, Aiden Bonar
RR: Rory Lobb, Stephen Coniglio, Dylan Shiel
Interchange: Heath Shaw, Brent Daniels, Matt de Boer, Ryan Griffen
In: Dylan Shiel, Tim Taranto, Sam Reid, Ryan Griffen
Out: Dawson Simpson (ankle), Toby Greene (hamstring), Sam Taylor (hamstring), Brett Deledio (calf)
Emergencies: Lachlan Keeffe, Jeremy Finlayson, Daniel Lloyd, Dylan Buckley
