Greater Western Sydney wipe out optimism around West Coast Eagles with 59-point victory at Optus Stadium
However, a merciless Greater Western Sydney changed the tide, as the Eagles were wiped out by the famed Orange Tsunami in a 59-point defeat at Optus Stadium on Friday night.
The Giants came out west without spearhead Jesse Hogan who tormented them earlier this season with a nine-goal haul.
They Giants didn't miss the Coleman medallist's exploits as they romped to a 16.15 (111) to 8.4 (52) victory to rocket them back into the top eight to start the weekend.
Giants star midfielder Finn Callaghan simply torched the Eagles, racking up a career-high 37 disposals, 854m gained, six clearances and a goal in a dominant display.
GWS captain Toby Greene could've had a big night as well had he kicked straight, finishing with only three goals from his seven shots and 18 disposals.
Midfield bull Tom Green (35 disposals and nine clearances) and Josh Kelly (27 disposals and two goals) were pivotal through the midfield.
The visitors' dominance was evidenced by the fact their leading ball winner for the Eagles was defender and co-captain Liam Duggan (27 disposals).
Several players who stood tall against the Magpies couldn't back it up, with Liam Baker (11 disposals), Brady Hough (18) and Tom McCarthy (19) struggling to have the same impact.
West Coast seemed to have forgot their fundamentals from the first bounce, and it made the classy Giants look as if they were the Harlem Globetrotters.
As was the case in round four the Eagles couldn't stop the Giants from breaking out of the contest, but to make things worse was they gave them too much space across the ground as their structure fell to pieces.
The Eagles' lack of pressure was epitomised by a play when Callaghan ran through the centre square with four Eagles struggling to give chase.
West Coast coach Andrew McQualter was so concerned about the Giants dominance that he sent second-gamer Jobe Shanahan from up forward to be the spare man in defence to try to stop the bleeding.
Things became tense when Greene caught Harley Reid (24 disposals, seven clearances and seven tackles) high before then aggressively tossing the ball back to the youngster to finally bring the crowd into the game.
It seemed to spark the Eagles who finally looked threatening offensively, with Jamie Cripps snapping their first goal of the game from deep in the right forward pocket.
West Coast managed to tighten up in defence and stop the Giants from peppering the scoreboard as frequently in the second term, but their connection in attack meant the game became a stalemate.
Reuben Ginbey was seemingly a one-man army down back for the Eagles, stopping several goals through great individual defensive acts.
But teammates weren't helping him out, coughing up turnovers from basic errors which was putting them under immense pressure.
By the main break the margin was only 35 points, but it was tough to see West Coast being able to break down the Giants' defence to make up the difference.
McQualter took a risk out of half-time, subbing out their most senior tall forward in Jack Williams for debutant Malakai Champion as he tried to find a forward structure that could threaten the Giants.
Things looked promising for the Eagles when Shanahan (two goals) kicked the first major of the half after laying a strong run-down tackle to kickstart the second half.
All it did though was awaken the Giants, who began to once again slice the Eagles up across the ground to kick unpressured goals that left the crowd in silence.
As the floodgates opened the Eagles began to lose their way with undisciplined acts and poor decision-making beginning to help the Giants hit the scoreboard with ease.
Luckily for the Eagles, the Giants' radar was off in the final term, sparing them triple figure defeat despite the visitors dominating the term as the sting went out of the game.
SCOREBOARD
GWS 5.3, 8.6, 13.9, 16.15 (111)
WEST COAST 1.0, 3.1, 5.2, 8.4 (52)
Goals – GWS: T Greene 3 A Cadman 2 D Jones 2 J Kelly 2 X O'Halloran 2 T Bedford C Brown F Callagan J Riccardi J Stringer. WEST COAST: J Shanahan 2 L Baker J Cripps J Graham J Hutchinson B Williams.
Best – GWS: F Callaghan J Kelly D Jones X O'Halloran T Green T Greene L Ash. WEST COAST: R Ginbey H Reid E Hewett L Duggan C Hall L Ryan J Shanahan.
Injuries – GWS: J Buckley (ankle).
Umpires: L Haussen C Deboy A Whetton E Tee. Crowd: 38,152 at Optus Stadium.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
All fair in Harley Reid-Tom Green war: Kingsley
GWS coach Adam Kingsley insists it wasn't a deliberate tactic to get under the skin of West Coast star Harley Reid during the Giants' 59-point win in Perth on Friday night. The Giants kicked six of the first seven goals of the match to set up the easy 16.15 (111) to 8.4 (52) triumph, boosting their season record to 10-6 ahead of next week's crunch clash with Geelong. The biggest talking point of Friday's encounter was the heated tit-for-tat between GWS midfielder Tom Green and Reid. The pair went at it throughout the night, but it was their third-quarter exchanges that really stood out. Reid was floored and left gasping for breath after copping an off-the-ball elbow to the midriff near a ruck contest. Play was momentarily stopped for Reid to be assisted by the club's on-field doctor. As soon as Reid was given the all clear, Green ran in to lay an angry bump on the star Eagle, sparking heated words and a pointed finger from Reid. Green also copped plenty of niggling hits from Reid in what became a fascinating side plot to what was an otherwise dull game. Reid finished the match with 24 disposals and seven clearances, while Green was influential with 35 touches and nine clearances. "We didn't talk about getting under his skin," Kingsley said when asked about his team's tactics to curb the influence of Reid. "We identified his clearance threat to us during the week, and I think he had four clearance in the first quarter, so it was a really strong start from him. "We considered tagging him to just nullify his influence on the game, but we decided against that. "All in all, I thought we did pretty well on him." West Coast coach Andrew McQualter didn't have any issues with the Reid-Green battle. "It's awesome. That's what footy is about, as long as it doesn't cross a line," McQualter said. "I love the competitiveness of the game, and I hope all of our players do. "He (Reid) was up for the fight tonight. Potentially lost his attention a couple of times, which we'll keep working with him."But he's an ultimate competitor. If we could get every player to compete like Harley and want to go about their business like that, we would be happy." GWS defender Jack Buckley is in doubt to face the Cats after injuring his ankle in the third quarter. Kingsley is hopeful star forward Jesse Hogan (foot, illness) will be fit to return. "He did a 4km session (on Friday) back at headquarters in Sydney and had no pain, feeling fine, recovered from the bout of gastro that he had," Kingsley said of the Coleman medal contender. "There was no pain in his foot that's been troubling him for a little while. "He had a screw put in there, six years ago perhaps, and so at times it becomes irritated and it's something that he's managed. "He managed it last year, he's managing it this year, and sometimes it just tips over the edge where we've just got to give him a spell." GWS coach Adam Kingsley insists it wasn't a deliberate tactic to get under the skin of West Coast star Harley Reid during the Giants' 59-point win in Perth on Friday night. The Giants kicked six of the first seven goals of the match to set up the easy 16.15 (111) to 8.4 (52) triumph, boosting their season record to 10-6 ahead of next week's crunch clash with Geelong. The biggest talking point of Friday's encounter was the heated tit-for-tat between GWS midfielder Tom Green and Reid. The pair went at it throughout the night, but it was their third-quarter exchanges that really stood out. Reid was floored and left gasping for breath after copping an off-the-ball elbow to the midriff near a ruck contest. Play was momentarily stopped for Reid to be assisted by the club's on-field doctor. As soon as Reid was given the all clear, Green ran in to lay an angry bump on the star Eagle, sparking heated words and a pointed finger from Reid. Green also copped plenty of niggling hits from Reid in what became a fascinating side plot to what was an otherwise dull game. Reid finished the match with 24 disposals and seven clearances, while Green was influential with 35 touches and nine clearances. "We didn't talk about getting under his skin," Kingsley said when asked about his team's tactics to curb the influence of Reid. "We identified his clearance threat to us during the week, and I think he had four clearance in the first quarter, so it was a really strong start from him. "We considered tagging him to just nullify his influence on the game, but we decided against that. "All in all, I thought we did pretty well on him." West Coast coach Andrew McQualter didn't have any issues with the Reid-Green battle. "It's awesome. That's what footy is about, as long as it doesn't cross a line," McQualter said. "I love the competitiveness of the game, and I hope all of our players do. "He (Reid) was up for the fight tonight. Potentially lost his attention a couple of times, which we'll keep working with him."But he's an ultimate competitor. If we could get every player to compete like Harley and want to go about their business like that, we would be happy." GWS defender Jack Buckley is in doubt to face the Cats after injuring his ankle in the third quarter. Kingsley is hopeful star forward Jesse Hogan (foot, illness) will be fit to return. "He did a 4km session (on Friday) back at headquarters in Sydney and had no pain, feeling fine, recovered from the bout of gastro that he had," Kingsley said of the Coleman medal contender. "There was no pain in his foot that's been troubling him for a little while. "He had a screw put in there, six years ago perhaps, and so at times it becomes irritated and it's something that he's managed. "He managed it last year, he's managing it this year, and sometimes it just tips over the edge where we've just got to give him a spell." GWS coach Adam Kingsley insists it wasn't a deliberate tactic to get under the skin of West Coast star Harley Reid during the Giants' 59-point win in Perth on Friday night. The Giants kicked six of the first seven goals of the match to set up the easy 16.15 (111) to 8.4 (52) triumph, boosting their season record to 10-6 ahead of next week's crunch clash with Geelong. The biggest talking point of Friday's encounter was the heated tit-for-tat between GWS midfielder Tom Green and Reid. The pair went at it throughout the night, but it was their third-quarter exchanges that really stood out. Reid was floored and left gasping for breath after copping an off-the-ball elbow to the midriff near a ruck contest. Play was momentarily stopped for Reid to be assisted by the club's on-field doctor. As soon as Reid was given the all clear, Green ran in to lay an angry bump on the star Eagle, sparking heated words and a pointed finger from Reid. Green also copped plenty of niggling hits from Reid in what became a fascinating side plot to what was an otherwise dull game. Reid finished the match with 24 disposals and seven clearances, while Green was influential with 35 touches and nine clearances. "We didn't talk about getting under his skin," Kingsley said when asked about his team's tactics to curb the influence of Reid. "We identified his clearance threat to us during the week, and I think he had four clearance in the first quarter, so it was a really strong start from him. "We considered tagging him to just nullify his influence on the game, but we decided against that. "All in all, I thought we did pretty well on him." West Coast coach Andrew McQualter didn't have any issues with the Reid-Green battle. "It's awesome. That's what footy is about, as long as it doesn't cross a line," McQualter said. "I love the competitiveness of the game, and I hope all of our players do. "He (Reid) was up for the fight tonight. Potentially lost his attention a couple of times, which we'll keep working with him."But he's an ultimate competitor. If we could get every player to compete like Harley and want to go about their business like that, we would be happy." GWS defender Jack Buckley is in doubt to face the Cats after injuring his ankle in the third quarter. Kingsley is hopeful star forward Jesse Hogan (foot, illness) will be fit to return. "He did a 4km session (on Friday) back at headquarters in Sydney and had no pain, feeling fine, recovered from the bout of gastro that he had," Kingsley said of the Coleman medal contender. "There was no pain in his foot that's been troubling him for a little while. "He had a screw put in there, six years ago perhaps, and so at times it becomes irritated and it's something that he's managed. "He managed it last year, he's managing it this year, and sometimes it just tips over the edge where we've just got to give him a spell."
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
All fair in Harley Reid-Tom Green war: Kingsley
GWS coach Adam Kingsley insists it wasn't a deliberate tactic to get under the skin of West Coast star Harley Reid during the Giants' 59-point win in Perth on Friday night. The Giants kicked six of the first seven goals of the match to set up the easy 16.15 (111) to 8.4 (52) triumph, boosting their season record to 10-6 ahead of next week's crunch clash with Geelong. The biggest talking point of Friday's encounter was the heated tit-for-tat between GWS midfielder Tom Green and Reid. The pair went at it throughout the night, but it was their third-quarter exchanges that really stood out. Reid was floored and left gasping for breath after copping an off-the-ball elbow to the midriff near a ruck contest. Play was momentarily stopped for Reid to be assisted by the club's on-field doctor. As soon as Reid was given the all clear, Green ran in to lay an angry bump on the star Eagle, sparking heated words and a pointed finger from Reid. Green also copped plenty of niggling hits from Reid in what became a fascinating side plot to what was an otherwise dull game. Reid finished the match with 24 disposals and seven clearances, while Green was influential with 35 touches and nine clearances. "We didn't talk about getting under his skin," Kingsley said when asked about his team's tactics to curb the influence of Reid. "We identified his clearance threat to us during the week, and I think he had four clearance in the first quarter, so it was a really strong start from him. "We considered tagging him to just nullify his influence on the game, but we decided against that. "All in all, I thought we did pretty well on him." West Coast coach Andrew McQualter didn't have any issues with the Reid-Green battle. "It's awesome. That's what footy is about, as long as it doesn't cross a line," McQualter said. "I love the competitiveness of the game, and I hope all of our players do. "He (Reid) was up for the fight tonight. Potentially lost his attention a couple of times, which we'll keep working with him."But he's an ultimate competitor. If we could get every player to compete like Harley and want to go about their business like that, we would be happy." GWS defender Jack Buckley is in doubt to face the Cats after injuring his ankle in the third quarter. Kingsley is hopeful star forward Jesse Hogan (foot, illness) will be fit to return. "He did a 4km session (on Friday) back at headquarters in Sydney and had no pain, feeling fine, recovered from the bout of gastro that he had," Kingsley said of the Coleman medal contender. "There was no pain in his foot that's been troubling him for a little while. "He had a screw put in there, six years ago perhaps, and so at times it becomes irritated and it's something that he's managed. "He managed it last year, he's managing it this year, and sometimes it just tips over the edge where we've just got to give him a spell."
West Australian
12 hours ago
- West Australian
Greater Western Sydney wipe out optimism around West Coast Eagles with 59-point victory at Optus Stadium
West Coast had been riding a wave of optimism after their competitive performance against Collingwood only six days ago. However, a merciless Greater Western Sydney changed the tide, as the Eagles were wiped out by the famed Orange Tsunami in a 59-point defeat at Optus Stadium on Friday night. The Giants came out west without spearhead Jesse Hogan who tormented them earlier this season with a nine-goal haul. They Giants didn't miss the Coleman medallist's exploits as they romped to a 16.15 (111) to 8.4 (52) victory to rocket them back into the top eight to start the weekend. Giants star midfielder Finn Callaghan simply torched the Eagles, racking up a career-high 37 disposals, 854m gained, six clearances and a goal in a dominant display. GWS captain Toby Greene could've had a big night as well had he kicked straight, finishing with only three goals from his seven shots and 18 disposals. Midfield bull Tom Green (35 disposals and nine clearances) and Josh Kelly (27 disposals and two goals) were pivotal through the midfield. The visitors' dominance was evidenced by the fact their leading ball winner for the Eagles was defender and co-captain Liam Duggan (27 disposals). Several players who stood tall against the Magpies couldn't back it up, with Liam Baker (11 disposals), Brady Hough (18) and Tom McCarthy (19) struggling to have the same impact. West Coast seemed to have forgot their fundamentals from the first bounce, and it made the classy Giants look as if they were the Harlem Globetrotters. As was the case in round four the Eagles couldn't stop the Giants from breaking out of the contest, but to make things worse was they gave them too much space across the ground as their structure fell to pieces. The Eagles' lack of pressure was epitomised by a play when Callaghan ran through the centre square with four Eagles struggling to give chase. West Coast coach Andrew McQualter was so concerned about the Giants dominance that he sent second-gamer Jobe Shanahan from up forward to be the spare man in defence to try to stop the bleeding. Things became tense when Greene caught Harley Reid (24 disposals, seven clearances and seven tackles) high before then aggressively tossing the ball back to the youngster to finally bring the crowd into the game. It seemed to spark the Eagles who finally looked threatening offensively, with Jamie Cripps snapping their first goal of the game from deep in the right forward pocket. West Coast managed to tighten up in defence and stop the Giants from peppering the scoreboard as frequently in the second term, but their connection in attack meant the game became a stalemate. Reuben Ginbey was seemingly a one-man army down back for the Eagles, stopping several goals through great individual defensive acts. But teammates weren't helping him out, coughing up turnovers from basic errors which was putting them under immense pressure. By the main break the margin was only 35 points, but it was tough to see West Coast being able to break down the Giants' defence to make up the difference. McQualter took a risk out of half-time, subbing out their most senior tall forward in Jack Williams for debutant Malakai Champion as he tried to find a forward structure that could threaten the Giants. Things looked promising for the Eagles when Shanahan (two goals) kicked the first major of the half after laying a strong run-down tackle to kickstart the second half. All it did though was awaken the Giants, who began to once again slice the Eagles up across the ground to kick unpressured goals that left the crowd in silence. As the floodgates opened the Eagles began to lose their way with undisciplined acts and poor decision-making beginning to help the Giants hit the scoreboard with ease. Luckily for the Eagles, the Giants' radar was off in the final term, sparing them triple figure defeat despite the visitors dominating the term as the sting went out of the game. SCOREBOARD GWS 5.3, 8.6, 13.9, 16.15 (111) WEST COAST 1.0, 3.1, 5.2, 8.4 (52) Goals – GWS: T Greene 3 A Cadman 2 D Jones 2 J Kelly 2 X O'Halloran 2 T Bedford C Brown F Callagan J Riccardi J Stringer. WEST COAST: J Shanahan 2 L Baker J Cripps J Graham J Hutchinson B Williams. Best – GWS: F Callaghan J Kelly D Jones X O'Halloran T Green T Greene L Ash. WEST COAST: R Ginbey H Reid E Hewett L Duggan C Hall L Ryan J Shanahan. Injuries – GWS: J Buckley (ankle). Umpires: L Haussen C Deboy A Whetton E Tee. Crowd: 38,152 at Optus Stadium.
