1 week Ago
The “midfield myth” at GWS has been put under the microscope after the Giants were blitzed by the Bulldogs and again bested in the territory aspect of the game. Adam Kingsley’s charge was trumped by 32 points on Saturday night in the nation’s capital, conceding a whopping 60 inside-50s and losing the overall count by 15. They also finished an alarming -22 for clearances.
It comes after they fell to Adelaide in Round 6, losing inside-50s by 13 and clearances by 13. For the season, they rank 14th for inside-50 differential and 13th for clearance differential. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play.
New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Dual All-Australian Leigh Montagna had last week put the Giants’ underdelivering midfield on watch, but on Sunday night it was firmly on the First Crack agenda.
“I said it was a Giant vulnerability with the way that they are getting beaten around the contest, through the midfield zone. It’s gone from being a vulnerability to ..
. a midfield myth,” he said on Fox Footy. “I don’t think this Giants midfield .
.. it’s not a good midfield.
They get beaten up in contested ball around the midfield. It hasn’t just been for this season; it goes back a little bit further. “They’re so reliant on their defenders to be able to defend for them and generate their offence when they can bounce.
” The Giants were also -21 for contested possessions against the Dogs. For the season, they’re 17th for contested ball. “Now, I know the Bulldogs were good, and they can play like this, and they’ve been slick — but that (GWS) is not a premiership team.
The Giants are considered a premiership contender, (but) you can’t have those numbers,” Montagna said. Thus far in the campaign, apart from Tom Green — who is considered above average in player ratings — there are Giants struggling between the arcs, with Josh Kelly and Toby Bedford categorised as below average, while Finn Callaghan has been assessed as average. “It’s now starting to show that the (James) Peatling, (Isaac) Cumming and (Harry) Perryman outs have left them thin in there, because Toby Bedford is a below-average midfielder — I know he plays a bit of a (tagging) role,” said Montagna.
“Josh Kelly’s not going well, Finn Callaghan after that electric start to the season ...
he’s only been OK (since then), and Tom Green — accumulator, tough, he’s their best player, but he’s got vulnerabilities as well as a midfielder.” Montagna posed: “I’m wondering whether it’s time now to try and rip the cord and get Toby Greene back into the midfield — a bit like what Sydney did with Isaac Heeney last year. “Can Toby Greene go in there and help correct the contest and clearance numbers? Because he’s a star.
It might just help Jake Stringer and get a little bit more going in that forward line for them. “They’ve got to try something different, Adam Kingsley, because if these numbers continue, as I said (last) Wednesday, it’s going to be awfully hard to buck the trend and win a premiership.” But the issues go deeper than just the ball-getters, with two-time premiership forward David King lamenting the form of ruckman Kieren Briggs.
“They don’t have a ruck, at the moment. I’m not sure what he does, big ‘Briggsy’,” King said on Fox Footy. “And I know he’s been a good player in the past, but right now, they’ve got a non-competitive ruckman.
It’s as simple as that. I don’t know what they do with this position. “If they were serious about this position, they’d throw Cadman in there and say ‘mate, you go and get competitive’, the old Robert Walls theory — throw him in there, fight for your feed a little bit.
“Because right now, he’s a poor commodity. Giving away a lot of free kicks ..
. well, he doesn’t contested mark, he doesn’t get involved in possession chains, so he doesn’t help you move the ball.” Among fellow AFL ruckmen, the 25-year-old Briggs is 18th for hitout-to-advantage rate, worst for first possession rate and worst for score involvements.
“He gets beaten more often than not around the ground for numbers by his opposing ruckman, so he hurts this midfield,” King continued. “And the numbers don’t lie. He’s not a tap ruckman, he doesn’t give first possession at all to his troops, he doesn’t get involved in scoring chains, so I just think .
.. they’re better off saying ‘you know what, we’re going to go with (Jake) Riccardi and (Aaron) Cadman’.
And they’re too tall forward of the ball anyway. “Jack Riewoldt spoke about that last night, and I tend to agree with him ..
. go and get these big boys in the forward half to get more competitive. “Throw them in the ruck where you can’t hide.
And I know they’re not going to win a lot of hitouts, but you know what? You’re not winning them now.”.
