?The Greater Western Sydney GIANTS took another important step in the development of the club today with their debut on the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It was not only the club’s MCG debut but also the first for all but four of the GIANTS’ players to play at the historic ground.
Today’s clash against the Northern Bullants was a tough ask for the young squad with a number of GIANTS AIS AFL Academy players unavailable for selection. After a challenging first half, the GIANTS had to dig deep and show some strong character in the second half, kicking five goals to eventually go down by 89 points.
The Northern Bullants came into the game firing. After being VFL runners up for the past two years and getting off to a great start in the 2011 season, an experienced Bullants side put in a solid first half, kicking twelve goals and just four behinds. The GIANTS had a number of scoring opportunities and stoppages in the second term but the stronger bodies of the Bullants players meant that the GIANTS were still unable to convert their efforts on the scoreboard.
GIANTS’ midfielder Anthony Miles said that whilst playing on the MCG for the first time was a great experience for the young club, the nerves of the occasion and strength and speed of the match had a negative effect on the team’s performance.
“Walking out onto the MCG for the first time was amazing. A lot of the boys were commenting and saying ‘imagine playing here if it was full’. Next year and in the years to come we will get to play in front of some bigger crowds which will be amazing.
“That was my first game on the MCG so it was a pretty big thrill but you just have to try to put it in the back of your mind and realise that you’ve still got a game on your hands. I think that is part of the reason that we didn’t start that well. A few of the boys might have been a bit overwhelmed but that certainly isn’t an excuse.
“The difference in the pace and the bigger bodies were the main things that I noticed during the game,” he said.
The second half saw a big improvement from the young GIANTS side. With two sixteen-year-olds lining up for the giants, the squad showed a huge amount of character, keeping their heads up and kicking five goals in the latter half of the match.
Moving Jack Hombsch into the forward line proved to be a success with Hombsch providing a strong presence and target near the GIANTS goals. Isreal Folau was a strong contributor amongst a lot of big bodies in the GIANTS backline and was able to make good decisions under pressure and produce some strong defensive spoils for his side.
Miles said that the advice of the GIANTS coaching staff helped the side to re-group and produce a solid second half performance.
“I think Chocco highlighted it and put it very well at half time when he said that we’re not only representing ourselves as a playing group but also everyone who is involved in the club, the staff and our parents who have come to watch us as well. That really hit home to me and to a lot of the other boys as well.
“After getting beaten in the first half you just have to tell yourself to hit harder and also put that half in the back of your mind. Sheed’s said to us ‘it’s like your 15th birthday, it’s in the past and you can only handle what’s in front of you’. That was a big game for me to just put the first part in the back of my mind, keep my head up and just carry on,” he said.
After yet another club milestone for 2011 and after gaining some unrivalled experience in the NAB Cup and Foxtel Cup, the GIANTS will now have the remainder of the NEAFL season to develop and mature before they enter the AFL in 2012.
“I think the main thing for us now is just to re-group and take the positives out of it. There are negatives but we will go through the highlights on Monday and re-group after that.
“We’ve been together for six months now and with all the hard work and everything that’s been going on behind the scenes it was good to kick some goals and get a bit of respect back in the second half today,” he said.
Miles was also grateful for the support that the side was shown from the crowd, who were cheering the side on from the stands throughout the entire match.
“There was a huge cheer when we kicked the first goal and even when we walked off, people were clapping so it’s really heart-warming to know that even people in Melbourne, which is a long way from Sydney care about the GIANTS and are behind us,” he said.

GWS GIANTS

5.4.34

Northern Bullants

19.9.123

GIANTS Goal Kickers

Giles 2

Tunbridge 2

Casley 1

Bests

Miles, Shiel, Hombsch, Giles