The young Greater Western Sydney GIANTS have been dealt another valuable learning experience today, with the Sydney Swans demonstrating why they are still undefeated in the NEAFL Eastern conference.
Adam Flagg gave the home side a promising start, booting a goal from the first clearance just seconds into the game but the Swans proved too big and strong and eventually defeated the GIANTS by 86 points.
The first quarter was the GIANTS’ best of the match. The young side matched the physicality of the Swans Reserves and led through most of the quarter. A goal after the siren allowed an experienced Swans unit to head into the first break with a five-point lead.
GIANT #8 Jeremy Cameron said that the GIANTS coaching staff were pleased with the side’s efforts in the first 28 minutes of the match.
“It was very tough in the first quarter. They came out and were physical right from the start, we knew that they would do that but we really took it up to them. They kicked a goal after the siren so it was pretty tight up until then.
“The coaches were pretty pleased with us up until then but we started to drop off into the second quarter, which was disappointing,” he said.
The GIANTS showed flashes of brilliance throughout the second and third quarter, with Josh Growden intercepting a Swans kick out, Israel Folau laying a number of impressive tackles and Anthony Miles continuing to match the physicality of the Swans. However, the home side was not able to answer the Swans assault on the scoreboard.
“Obviously we were a lot smaller than the opposition so we just tried to give it back to them as much as possible and use our leg speed as much as possible around the ground to open them up.
“I started down back and didn’t do very well back there. I was moved up forward and kicked a couple of goals. I don’t think that it matters who kicks the goals but it was good to get a few and help us hold our heads up,” he said.
The young side showed great heart in the final term, with Jeremy Cameron kicking two goals, one from a set shot 55 meters out and the other around his body. Cameron said that the message from the GIANTS coaching staff at three quarter time was for their young side to remain positive and put in a solid effort in the final term.
“We really started to use our run in the last quarter but we need to learn to do that right from the start and carry it through four quarters.
“The coaches encouraged us to stay positive. We also talk to each other and try to get each other up and make sure that we continue to go at it just as hard as when we started when the scores were even.
“You just have to stay positive, keep your head up and try to kick a few goals.”
Cameron said that the GIANTS would take the learning’s from today’s game to help them prepare for their match against Belconnen next Saturday.
“We’re a brand new side so we’ve got a lot of learning to do.
“We need to just recover and look at the footage and learn from that. It’s good to look back and see what didn’t happen the way that we wanted, improve each week and come out firing the next week”.
GWS GIANTS
3.11.29
Sydney Swans
17.13.115
GIANTS goal kickers
Jeremy Cameron 2
Adam Flagg 1
Bests
Miles, Townsend, Aylett, Growden
Official Crowd
1,893
