The GIANTS could be boosted by star pair Josh Kelly and Toby Greene, as well as returning ruckman Shane Mumford, when it hosts a wounded Richmond at GIANTS Stadium next Saturday.
The GIANTS were beaten by 52 points by West Coast on Saturday night, failing to capitalise on a weight of inside 50s (62-47) and will be desperate to regain the class of Kelly and Greene when they tackle the Tigers.
Coach Leon Cameron said Kelly (hip/knee) was expected to return after completing a training run on Saturday, while Greene (calf) would be assessed mid-week after injuring himself late in the round one win against Essendon.
Ruckman Mumford, who returned to the Giants after spending one year in retirement, will be available for selection after serving a suspension.
"We hope to get Kelly back next week and throw him through the midfield," Cameron said following Saturday night's loss.
Asked if Greene would be available, the coach said: "We've got to make good decisions. I don't know what that is yet … he's just a bit tight in his calf.
"If he's not right we don't play him. If he is then no doubt he will definitely come in."
Classy midfielder Lachie Whitfield aside, the GIANTS lacked clean ball-users on Saturday night and couldn't convert a significant inside 50 advantage into a winning score.
"To have 62 to 46 and get beaten by 50 points, clearly our ball use going forward was not great," Cameron said.
"It's fine to have that many inside 50s, but you'd much rather take 10 off as long as you're really efficient.
"We clearly weren't efficient and we needed to use the ball a fair bit better, so clearly that's an area of focus for next week's game."
After launching the season with a 72-point win against Essendon, Cameron said the 1-1 GIANTS needed to maintain their performance when they weren't getting rewarded on the scoreboard.
"We're disappointed, we came here and we wanted to win the game, we expected to win the game, and we let ourselves down," he said.
"We need to be better when you don't get that reward or nourishment on the scoreboard.
"Effort and energy was there, but disappointing that they won the really crucial battles."
Kelly is set to boost a midfield that held its own for long periods on Saturday night, with young pair Jacob Hopper (21 possessions and eight clearances) and Tim Taranto (19 and five inside 50s) working hard.
Stephen Coniglio, who earned a tag from Mark Hutchings, was down on his usual output but still finished with 20 possessions and five clearances, while Matt de Boer ran with star Eagle Elliot Yeo (23 possessions).
"I think Coniglio, de Boer, Hopper and Taranto had really good battles with their mids," Cameron said.
"We lowered our colours today, but not by much in terms of the midfield.
"In this game you've got to address the areas that we let ourselves down in and we will.
"But we know we've got a huge task next week against Richmond, who clearly are going to be looking to bounce back from the weekend."
