A strong finish by the GIANTS couldn't stop Melbourne securing its fourth win of the year at Manuka Oval in Canberra.
In a sloppy contest in windy conditions, the inaccurate Demons edged away from the Giants after quarter-time to win 11.18 (84) to 9.5 (59).
Melbourne restricted the Giants to just four goals in the opening three quarters before the home team booted five in the last term.
The victory means Melbourne will almost certainly avoid the wooden spoon, with the Demons now two wins above Gold Coast and the Giants, who are last.
The Giants' percentage is vastly inferior to the Suns, meaning GWS will need to spring an upset in the final two rounds of the year to avoid the wooden spoon.
The GIANTS were without a number of key players including captain Callan Ward, young fowards Jeremy Cameron and Jon Patton and midfielder Stephen Coniglio.
SEE WHAT TAYLOR ADAMS HAD TO SAY POST MATCH:
Luke Power became the 66th man in VFL/AFL history to reach the 300-game milestone running out on to the ground through a special banner with his young daughter.
The Giants trailed by only two points when young gun Toby Greene goalled in the fifth minute of the second quarter.
Unfortunately for most of the crowd of 7,561, the hosts' next goal would come in the sixth minute of the last term through key defender Phil Davis.
Despite their lowly ladder positions, this was a match with no shortage of feeling - Melbourne's Sam Blease went for Sam Darley's jugular in arguably the most heated of a series of spot fires.
It was the sort of spirit the game was played in, with both sides playing for pride rather than draft picks as the Demons have been accused of doing in past seasons by former teammate Brock McLean.
Toy Greene was again impressivem and showed incredible attack on the ball and football smarts. In one passage of play on the wing, the 18-year-old grubbered to himself and produced a bullet-like pass into the forward 50m.
The Giants' endeavour was never lacking, but the same couldn't said of their discipline and decision-making. The conditions didn't help.
While the snow that GWS coach Kevin Sheedy said pre-match he was hoping for failed to eventuate, a strong wind made the goalposts sway for most of the game.
But despite their gutsy last quarter, the GIANTS couldn't repeat their Round 7 win against Gold Coast.
GIANTS Head Coach Kevin Sheedy praised Co-Captain Luke Power on his efforts in his 300th AFL game and said that the guard of honour for Power before the match was an important moment for the young club.
"We are very lucky to have him here... that was a special time," Sheedy said.
The veteran coach admitted that the middle of the game was lacklustre for the GIANTS but said that there were still plenty of positives that the fledging side would take from the game.
"I thought we started well then got in to a bit of the rut in the middle of the game.
"The game is about will power for us at the moment when the boys get tired and that was one of our best last quarters for the season. They really lifted and that was a damn good performance in that last thirty minutes.
"They showed some real spirit in that last quarter and that's what I'm looking for as they develop in to the next phase of their football."
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 2.2 4.4 4.5 9.5 (59)
MELBOURNE 3.4 6.10 9.13 11.18 (84)
BEST
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY: Greene, Giles, Power, Adams, Phillips
MELBOURNE: Dunn, Grimes, Howe, Trengove, MacDonald
GOALS
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY: Greene (2), Giles, Power, Adams, Phillips, McDonald, Smith, Davis
MELBOURNE: Howe (3), Sellar (2), Trengove (2), Rivers (2), Green, Grimes
INJURIES
Melbourne: TBC
Greater Western Sydney: TBC
SUBSTITUTES
Melbourne: Jack Watts replaced Tom Couch in the third quarter
Greater Western Sydney: Steve Clifton replaced Will Hoskin-Elliott at three quarter-time
Reports: TBC
Umpires: Ryan, Armstrong, Harris
Official crowd: 7,561 at Manuka Oval
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs.
