Tom Boyd has pushed his claim for a senior recall with four goals in the UWS GIANTS’ 111-point demolition of Eastlake in Canberra.
The GIANTS held their opponents goalless for the first three quarters of the match at StarTrack Oval and controlled the run of play from start to finish.
UWS GIANTS coach Brett Hand was impressed with Boyd’s work rate and said midfielder Mark Whiley was rampant through the midfield, contributing with four goals of his own.
“Tom worked really hard up the ground and his running patterns keep improving as we go,” Hand said.
“His ability to work into the right spots was good and he’s certainly moving in the right direction (towards a recall).
“Mark Whiley was outstanding with his work at stoppages and his ability to hunt the footy down. He kicked four goals which shows he’s spreading forward and back.”
Other strong performers included Nathan Wilson, Zac Williams and Matthew Buntine who were outstanding across halfback.
Big man Andrew Phillips also gave GIANTS midfielders first use of the football with a solid performance in ruck.
“Conditions were pretty tough and we were pretty happy with how our players adjusted,” Hand said.
“It was good to get a convincing win again and we went about things in a pretty methodical way.”
Hand said he looked forward to a big challenge against NT Thunder at Spotless Stadium this Saturday.
The NEAFL match will be a curtain raiser to the GIANTS clash with Essendon at 7.40pm.
“Thunder have started the season really well and the first game up there against them we let a few opportunities slip,” Hand said.
“We enjoy playing against them, they’re hard at the contest and have some silky smooth skills so it will be a big test for us.”
The UWS GIANTS match against NT Thunder will kick off at 4pm on Saturday with tickets available at the gate.
UWS GIANTS 19.16 (130) def Eastlake Demons 2.7 (19)
Best Players: M. Whiley, N. Wilson, Z. Williams, A. Phillips, M. Buntine, S. Gilham
Goal Kickers: T. Boyd 4, M. Whiley 4, J. Stewart 3, J. Hunt 2, D. Spinks 2, L. Sumner , R. Lobb , N. Wilson , S. Reid
Photos by Ben Southall - To view more photos from the game or to purchase an image, visit www.bensouthall.com.au
