The Game
This was a tough, tight game for the most of the day and a disappointing result for the GIANTS, who struggled to find any rhythm and space, and let North score easily at times. The Roos brought plenty of pressure and the GIANTS struggled to get going early, missing targets and finding it hard to deliver the ball inside 50 with any ease. Jeremy Finlayson got the GIANTS on the board in the first term and put them in front early in the second half with a shot from a similar spot from close to the boundary line. Goals to Callan Ward and Harry Perryman pushed the lead to 11 points as Greene, Brent Daniels and Harry Himmelberg got into the game, but North took the lead back with three late third-term goals and stretched their lead with another two at the start of the last. Quick goals to Himmelberg and Cameron got the GIANTS back to within a few points with 10 minutes to play, but North found a way to respond again and notched their second victory for the season with a 20-point win.
The Comeback
After 429 days Callan Ward was back where he belongs: in orange and charcoal, in the middle of GIANTS Stadium. Returning after his knee reconstruction in April last year, Ward’s scrambled a quick kick in the first minute and warmed into the game nicely off a wing, with 11 first half-possessions and showed signs he hasn’t lost his nimble feet and sure kick. His soccer goal from the goal line midway through the third quarter came at the end of a tough scramble deep in the GIANTS’ forward line, pushed his team two goals clear and brought big smiles to his teammates’ faces. The former skipper finished with nine kicks and 12 handballs and will be better for the run.
The Milestone
An original GIANT, Phil Davis played his 150th game for the club against the Roos, meaning he will join Kevin Sheedy, Callan Ward and Jeremy Cameron as a life member. Like Sam Taylor, Nick Hayes and others Davis had his hands full down back pretty much from start to finish, with Cam Zurhaar, Ben Brown and Jack Ziebell causing headaches at different times. On a quiet day possession-wise, Davis' most important moment came late in the the second quarter, when a jump, stretch and mark right on the goal line denied Shaun Higgins a goal, and the Roos a chance to edge ahead before half-time.
The New Kid
Jye Caldwell played two games in his debut season: against Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs in what was a tough late-season run for the GIANTS towards a much better. Injuries helped him find a way in, but he won his round two spot when the coaches had an almost fully-fit list to choose from and made the most of his chance. Caldwell did his best work in the first half, hunting the footy with aggression, harassing the opposition and setting up a Harry Perryman goal with a long kick into the forward line.
The Big Job
Matt De Boer had his hands full through the middle of the ground, keeping an eye on both Ben Cunnington and Shaun Higgins at various times. The diligent GIANT kept Cunnington to just one first-quarter handball and a few first-half possessions before turning more of his attention to the influential Higgins who racked up 13 possessions and four clearances in the second quarter and hurting the GIANTS all afternoon with his class. De Boer fought it out as best he could switching between from Cunnington to Higgins and back again throughout the second half, but the North midfield was up for the contest from start to finish, meaning Cunnington and Higgins had plenty of help.
The Coach
Leon Cameron: "They came to play, We only played in patches here and there and they played a good, consistent brand for the entire time. We just did not roll our sleeves up and get down and dirty for long enough."
