The slow start

The GIANTS started with much more energy than they played with last week, racking up 22 tackles in the opening quarter and working hard to keep it in their forward line. Problem was, the Eagles barely did a thing wrong when they got their hands on the ball and moved it forward; while inside-50s were pretty even early on, West Coast players were able to take five contested marks in the forward line and were able to put four goals on the board via Jack Darling, Nic Naitanui and Josh Kennedy as the GIANTS struggled to turn their hard work into scores.

The fightback

The start gave the GIANTS something encouraging to build on, and they didn’t just let this game slip. By the last half of the second quarter they had begun to get control of the game, moving the ball a bit quicker and more directly while denying West Coast the same opportunities to set their forwards up. Missed chances were costly – Bobby Hill and Jake Riccardi missed set shots, while Jacob Hopper and Harry Himmelberg hit the post – but a Brent Daniels’ goal late in the first half got the GIANTS on the board, and two quick goals at the start of the third term reduced a 34-point margin to just 10 points. Unfortunately, the Eagles were able to work their way back into the game from there; they scored the last three goals of the term to push the margin back to a difficult 31 points at the last break.

The fast finish

Once again, the GIANTS didn’t stop trying. The three-quarter-time margin – and Jeremy MCGovern’s ability to take intercept mark after intercept mark – ended up being just too much to overcome, but they kept up the fight around the ball, they moved it with real urgency, they started to find more space. Goals to Riccardi and Daniel Lloyd trimmed a bit off the margin, and they inched closer after Josh Kelly converted a set shot and closer again after Harry Himmelberg took a nice mark and kicked his first goal for the game. Those four goals in a row left the GIANTS just two goals behind with a couple of minutes to play, but that was as close as they were able to get before time ran out.

Riccardi’s debut

He was the last member of his draft class to push into the senior side, but Jake Riccardi made a big impression in his debut match. The 20-year-old – who followed Tom Green, Lachie Ash and Tom Hutchesson into the team after being chosen at pick 51 in the 2019 draft – took some strong marks, presented up hard at the ball carrier - giving the team someone to kick to - and set up the Daniels goal after taking a good grab at half-forward, turning and getting the ball in quickly towards the open goal square. Daniels returned the favour early in the third quarter – setting up Riccardi’s first AFL goal with a smart, selfless short pass while running towards goal – and Jake snapped his second at the start of the final quarter to keep the GIANTS in it. It was a very promising start: 16 disposals, 10 marks and eight score involvements as well as those two goals.

Ward’s tough run

Toby Greene and Adam Kennedy made their way back from hamstring injuries against the Eagles, but another GIANT looks set for some time on the sidelines. Callan Ward headed for the bench during the third quarter after suffering a compound fracture of a finger on his left hand. It’s been an interrupted year for Ward, who played his first game back from his knee reconstruction in round two before another minor knee issue knocked him out for another couple of weeks.

Up next

The team is out of quarantine and will spend one more week in Perth, playing Fremantle next Saturday in a round 14 before heading back to Queensland in preparation for some shorter weeks and games against Carlton, Adelaide, Melbourne and St Kilda in the run home. The loss to the Eagles left the GIANTS in 11^th spot on the ladder, at least one win outside the top eight with those five games to go.