Match Preview: Round 17 vs Gold Coast Suns
Where and When: Sunday July 11, 12.40pm, Mars Stadium (Ballarat)
Last time they met: The GIANTS have won their last nine matches against the Suns. It’s a run that began way back in in 2015 and stretches until their most recent meeting in round nine last season. On that day at Metricon Stadium the GIANTS kicked 9.7 to the Suns’ 4.11, winning by 26 points. Harry Himmelberg and Jeremy Cameron kicked two goals each, with Lachie Whitfield, Tim Taranto, Stephen Coniglio, Josh Kelly and Jacob Hopper all busy around the ball – keeping the likes of Touk Miller, David Swallow and Lachie Weller reasonably quiet – and Nick Haynes, Aidan Corr and Zac Williams getting the job done down back. The win didn’t come without some bad news, though, with Toby Greene and Matt de Boer suffering hamstring strains.
Where to watch: https://www.afl.com.au/broadcast-guide-premiership
What it means for the GIANTS: Last week’s win over Melbourne saw the GIANTS grab the top eight spot that has been dangling just within reach for a few weeks now. It also came after disappointing efforts against Hawthorn and North Melbourne, with a hard-fought win over Carlton squeezed in between. The Suns are amongst that middle-of-the ladder group, and will be just as tough to beat. A win will mean two in a row for the first time since rounds 7-8, and for just the third time all season. And they’re all going to matter, a lot, from here with a handful of teams still fighting it out for the last two finals spots.
Where’s the opposition at: After a rough few weeks the Suns had a brilliant win over Richmond last weekend, a four-quarter effort that would have produced a bigger margin had they kicked a little straighter. Ben King booted four against the Tigers, Jack Lukosius set them up with his kicking off half-back, Miller’s midfield run was relentless and Sean Lemmens kept Dustin Martin quiet. They’ll lose hardworking forward Josh Corbett to concussion, but should regain Weller as well as Hugh Greenwood, with ruckman Zac Smith available too.
The number: 17. The GIANTS are still a young club, and there are some places it just hasn't been. One of those is Mars Stadium, an hour-and-a-bit's drive from Melbourne in Ballarat. Mars will be the 17th venue the club has played at in its first 10 seasons, behind GIANTS Stadium (74 games), Manuka Oval (26), the MCG (23) and Marvel Stadium (22). At the other end of the list: the out-of-action Football Park in Adelaide (two games), York Park in Launceston (two games), and Blacktown, where the GIANTS have played just the one official AFL match, badly beaten by West Coast early in their debut season of 2012.
In the mix: Kieren Briggs is ready to be called upon should Shane Mumford not get up for this week’s game, with another strong VFL performance behind him. Jake Riccardi is hitting some form at VFL level too, while Jesse Hogan returned from injury in the one-point win over the unbeaten Casey Demons last Saturday night. Xavier O’Halloran, Tanner Bruhn, James Peatling and Matt de Boer are among those waiting in the wings, and then there is skipper Stephen Coniglio, who played his first game since round three and made it through well. Sadly, a replacement must be found for Jack Buckley, whose breakout season ended suddenly against Melbourne with a horrible knee injury. Sam Taylor, ready to go again after ankle surgery, would be an extremely handy ‘in’.
