Back in the pack

This was another tough night, made hard at first and all night in the midfield where the Crows dominated contested possessions and clearances and never let up. Unlike last round against Carlton the GIANTS were unable to manufacture enough in the final quarter to drag in Adelaide’s three-goal lead. Lachie Whitfield tried his heart out, as did Nick Haynes and a few others, but 10 points was as close as the team was able to get despite having chances to get closer as the clock wound down. Some important players were missing but after climbing back into the top eight after the win over the Blues the GIANTS are back where they were with two games to go against the Demons and Saints: back in the mix, fighting for a top eight spot and the right to play finals.

Bobby’s hanger

There were a few highlights: two of them provided by Bobby Hill in his fifth game for the season, and in the guernsey he designed originally for Sir Doug Nicholls round a few weeks back. First there was his brilliant goal, midway through the first quarter, where he slotted it while running towards the boundary line, getting the GIANTS on the board. Then there was his mark, where he ran, jumped and got the sit on Reilly O’Brien and Sam Jacobs, hauling in a hanger. With some tackle pressure and deft knock-ons, he did his best to get his team going.

Life membership for Heater

For the Giants, that is. Heath was playing in his 323^rd game against Adelaide, after starting out as a father-son pick back at Collingwood back in 2005, but the match was also his 150^th for the GIANTS, meaning he will now join teammates Callan Ward, Phil Davis, Toby Greene and Jeremy Cameron as a life member of the club he joined at the end of 2013. Heath had some heavy work to do early in the game as the Crows racked up their early shots at goal, but was able to get one back in the third quarter, sneaking inside 50 and slotting his set shot.

Jye’s first goal

He had to wait six games for his first win – which came when the GIANTS beat Richmond back in round eight – and 11 games to get his first goal on the board. It came along early in the third quarter against the Crows; the GIANTS forced the ball inside 50, Jeremy Finlayson found it and flicked a handball out to Jye, who put an easy shot through from the top of the goal square. Back in the team after two weeks out, Caldwell laid a team best seven tackles for the game.

Himmelberg vs Himmelberg

Maryanne and Kevin Himmelberg were together in the Adelaide Oval stands getting to do something they have never been able to do before: watch their sons up against each other in an AFL game. Elliott made his way to the Crows one year after Harry joined the GIANTS: after the Crows made a first-round bid for Harry in the 2015 draft but missed out when the GIANTS matched, the grabbed his brother the next year at pick 51.Harry was dispatched down back, as he was for a bit of the Carlton match, which brought the pair up against each other at times. But while Harry did his best to generate some run in the last quarter it was Elliott who finished with the bragging rights. His mark and goal on the quarter-time siren gave Adelaide a 14-point lead at the first break, he took another nice grab on the goal line in the second term and then flew for a huge mark up on Lachie Ash’s back that was touched off the boot and not paid. The GIANTS had some more representation in the crowd, with Jeremy Cameron’s parents able to make the trip to Adelaide.

Up next

The trip to Adelaide was a quick one: after flying in on Tuesday morning the GIANTS flew straight back to the Gold Coast after the game. On Saturday we’ll play Melbourne, who lost to Fremantle on Monday night, at Metricon Stadium. Some of the players who missed the Adelaide game – Shane Mumford, Josh Kelly, Brent Daniels, Harry Perryman, Zac Williams – will be chances to come in for what goes without saying will be an enormous game, while Sam Reid will be better for the run after playing his first game since the 2019 grand final against the Crows. Aidan Corr and Jeremy Finlayson both ended the Adelaide game with injuries, while Zac Langdon was a late withdrawal due to illness. The regular season will wind up the following Friday, when we play St Kilda at the Gabba.