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Toby Bedford ready if called upon to tag one of Sydney’s star midfielders

By LACHLAN MCKIRDY

SPORTS REPORTER

NEWS SPORT NETWORK

19 JUNE 2024

When Toby Bedford first saw Adam Kingsley’s name flash up on his phone last week, he had a thought that it might not be a happy call.

One of the Giants’ most important players in their run to the 2023 preliminary final, Bedford has had a quieter start to the season by his own standards. With only six goals to his name, he thought the time might have come for a spell in the reserves.

“I’ve openly said that I haven’t been stoked with my year,” Bedford said.

“Kingers doesn’t always speak to me randomly at times, I’m the pressure forward that’s all that needs to be said.

“So when I saw his name pop up, I was a bit concerned. I was hoping I wasn’t playing twos, to be honest.”

Despite not setting the world alight this year, it was a far different call from Kingsley. The second-year coach had come up with a new role for Bedford against Port Adelaide. One that has proven in vogue across the competition: a tagger.

The idea was to stop the elite Power midfield from gaining the ascendancy by getting Bedford to stick like glue to Zak Butters. The end result was better than either player or coach was expecting.

One of the competition’s best midfielders, Butters was only able to amass 11 disposals and two score involvements in the 59 minutes he was matched-up on Bedford. It contributed to the Giants dominating many of the contested ball stats against Port and eventually running over the top of them late in the game.

The impact of Bedford's tag

T. Bedford59 Minutes MatchupZ. Butters
10Disposals11
3Contested Possessions7
2Clearances4
3Score Involvements2


Port Adelaide's MidfieldR14 v GWS
Contested Possessions-19
Groundball Gets-5
First Possessions-9
Clearances-1


Bedford also benefited from the decision, producing his best game of the year which included a scintillating stoppage goal to help get this side back in the winner’s circle. He also received a perfect 10 coaches vote for his performance.

“I’d never really done it before,” Bedford said. “It was all about trying to limit his impact on the game, but getting involved when I can on the flip side.

“I had a few days to prepare. It was Butters as well, who is a really good player and I rate him highly. So, I went through some stuff with the coaches on Friday to prepare as best as I can.

“Hopefully, this is a nice little kicking stone for my season, but we’ll wait and see.”

Bedford has already made the most of his one week in the midfield group, joining the likes of Tom Green and Josh Kelly for some of their weekly sessions.

The Giants often play games during their captain’s run where the teams are made up of each line group. After struggling for much of the year, Bedford thinks he has been the midfield group’s lucky charm.

“When I was in the midfield group we actually won it,” Bedford said. “I don’t know if it’s me, but I’m just saying, I’m the common denominator.

“The forwards were going alright, now I’ve gone to the mids and they’ve won one. So we’ll see.”

After the success of Bedford’s shutdown role on Butters, all eyes will be on this week’s Sydney Derby to see if he can have a similar influence on the juggernaut that is the Swans’ midfield.

Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner and Errol Gulden have proven themselves to be three of the competition’s most damaging players in 2024. The trio are currently all in the top six for the AFLCA Champion Player of the Year award, while Heeney is still the Brownlow favourite.

They have been the most damaging users for the Swans this year, dominating the score involvement statistics in the AFL and propelling John Longmire’s side to top of the table.

At various times this season, coaches have tried to limit their influence. Carlton’s Matthew Kennedy player a solid role on Heeney in round 10, limiting him to just eight disposals in 46 minutes.

Recent tags on Sydney's midfield

Isaac Heeney
MatchMatch-up MinsDisposalsContested Poss.Clearances
R9 v Hayden Young411263
R10 v Matthew Kennedy46842


Chad Warner
MatchMatch-up MinsDisposalsContested Poss.Clearances
R14 v Max Michalanney701141


The Crows’ Max Michalanney has been one of the best taggers against Sydney in recent weeks, keeping Warner to just 11 disposals in 70 minutes.

Bedford’s athletic profile means he has the strength, and stamina, to run with any player in the competition. But the most likely match-up is set to be Warner or Gulden.

Gulden was the most lethal against the Crows, finishing with 768 metres gained, 10 clearances and 10 score involvements. While the Giants need to find a way to keep all three players quiet, limiting Gulden’s influence should be a priority for Kingsley.

And Bedford is ready to go if he’s called on again.

“I think our midfield is very strong,” Bedford said. “If I have that role again from Kingers, I’d be more than confident to do so.

“They’re very different players to Butters as well, but I’d just go out there to do my best for the team.”
 
www.smh.com.au

How GWS plan to shut down Swans danger man Amartey

Joel Amartey kicked nine goals against Adelaide last weekend and again looms as one of Sydney’s major threats on Saturday – especially with the Giants missing their star defender.
www.smh.com.au www.smh.com.au

How GWS plan to shut down Swans danger man Amartey

By Jonathan Drennan
June 20, 2024 — 6.20pm

The Giants will look to defenders Leek Aleer and Jack Buckley to shut down Sydney’s in-form forward Joel Amartey ahead of Saturday’s derby after losing star defender Sam Taylor to injury.

Amartey scored a career-high nine goals last Saturday against Adelaide, and the matter of how to stop him looms as a significant puzzle for the Giants coaching staff with Taylor unavailable having suffered a ruptured testicle in last Sunday’s win against Port Adelaide.

Taylor believes he suffered the injury in the third quarter, but still finished the game. The 2022 All-Australian had surgery this week and his return date is unknown by the Giants.

Defender Aleer has deputised ably for Taylor in the past and has successfully overcome his own injury difficulties, having missed most of last season with a ruptured ligament in his toe.

The 22-year-old debuted for the Giants against the Swans two years ago and is looking forward to matching up against the top team in the competition.

“I think they [the Swans] have some incredible ball winners, and they have some incredible [ball] hunters, they have players who get after it and with respect, we have that too.

“I think it will just come down to who wants it more at the end of the day, and we’re quite hungry at the moment. They’re sitting pretty at No.1 and deservedly: they’ve been playing some really good footy, but hopefully we can start knocking on that door and getting ourselves up on the ladder.”

Buckley was disappointed at his team’s previous 29-point loss to the Swans in their last meeting in round eight at a sodden SCG and will be looking to make amends for the performance at Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday.

“I think in that game they just handled the conditions a lot better than us, which is disappointing. They just smacked us in the contest,” Buckley said.

“They were tougher on that day, which was tough to review. The way they move the ball is amazing, but I mean, their defence is just as good.

“We won’t be looking at changing a whole lot in terms of what we do, we will play our way and if we can do that for four quarters, we’ll just give ourselves the best chance and just trust that, that’s enough against the best team in the comp.”

Academy product Caiden Cleary will make his AFL debut in his first senior season for the Swans after impressing as a ball-winning midfielder in the VFL.

The Swans will have to wait a little longer for their captain, Callum Mills, to return to the side as he continues to recover from calf and shoulder injuries.

Mills said that his focus is on returning to match fitness before any conversations with coach John Longmire can happen about where he could fit in the Swans’ lineup as a midfielder or a halfback.

“We haven’t spoken about that [position change] actually, we just want to get the training under my belt and we’ll reassess where the team is at and where I’m at that stage,” Mills said.
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I was at the Geelong game where for the first half we were playing good footy, in control and then blah! In that case we showed grit to hang on. But similar to the Swans game we dropped off for a prolonged period.

The article states “It’s not the first time this year the Giants have conceded a stretch of goals in a row, and Harry Himmelberg believes they’re close to finding the root of the problem”.

I would have hoped they had worked it out by now, certainly hope they work it out before the finals!

Harry Himmelberg says GWS will take plenty of confidence from 27-point defeat to Sydney

By LACHLAN MCKIRDY

SPORTS REPORTER

NEWS SPORT NETWORK

24 JUNE 2024

The Giants have taken plenty of confidence out of their overall performance against the Swans despite falling to a 27-point defeat to their cross-town rivals.

It was a seven-goal-to-one second quarter that proved the difference, with GWS matching the ladder leaders for most of the match.

It’s not the first time this year the Giants have conceded a stretch of goals in a row, and Harry Himmelberg believes they’re close to finding the root of the problem.

“When I looked back at the game and watched some stuff back, we actually played some good footy,” Himmelberg said. “The second quarter really just cost us the game.

“We won the second half against the best second-half team in the league. So yeah, we’ll take the positives out of that. The third-quarter fightback was really good and we gave ourselves a real chance, so we’ll take confidence into this week.

“But we’ll look at that second quarter and what went wrong for us and why we couldn’t stop the onslaught. I think our pressure dropped off, we were losing contests and when the ball’s living in the back half it’s hard to stop when you’ve got players like the Swans that can score heavily and quickly.

“They’re the benchmark team in the league. So if we can have fourth quarters like we had on the weekend against any team, I think we’ll be fine.”

The Giants only lost the inside-50 count by three, the clearances by one and also had 21 more marks throughout the game. Their pressure was relatively consistent for the entire match and they finished +3 for tackles.

It’s the sort of performance that would have kept them close against most other teams, but not the Swans in 2024.

“They’re going to be the ones that everyone has to beat,” Adam Kingsley said. “But I thought we fought hard.

“We’re certainly better placed this year than what we were last year, and we were able to string a run together. Who knows what’s possible.”

As a result, they’re looking for another step against the Crows in Adelaide this Saturday.

For Himmelberg, it could be another important match with another on-field family reunion looming in the AFL. His brother, Elliott, is close to making a return from a cheekbone injury and could be the latest siblings to do battle in recent weeks after the McKays and De Konings.

It’s also set to be the first time the pair meet since Elliott almost joined the Giants in the off-season, and his older brother just wants to see him playing senior footy as much as possible.

“I think he’ll be a test,” Harry said. “I’m sure I’ll speak to him this week and he’ll lie to me and tell me the opposite, so not sure yet.

“It would be handy for mum and dad, Adelaide in Adelaide. They won’t have to travel which would be good if he’s back in the ones.

“I think the only games we played together (growing up) were for Ungarie Magpies in the North Riverina Football League. We’d drive out there on Saturday and play because they were a small town that used to struggle for numbers.

“ (Playing together) would be awesome. Whether it eventuates we’ll have to wait and see. But I’d rather see him play AFL footy to be honest, I’m just happy seeing him out there.

“He needs to get some consistency in his game and stay away from the injuries. Whether it’s here or at another club, that’s all I really want to see.”

Following a rare stretch of three weeks sleeping in their own beds, the Giants are ready to hit the road again and attack the second half of the season.

They’re set to welcome back more players from injury including vice-captain Stephen Coniglio and Harry Perryman, while livewire Darcy Jones could also be back after a successful VFL return.

With the Crows languishing in the bottom four, it’s a must-win game for the Giants as they look to build on their premiership credentials.

“Our first part of the year is challenging. We love playing in Canberra but we’re still travelling so that takes its toll on the group,” Himmelberg said. “We love travelling but I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t taxing on the body.

“We’re looking forward to some home games in the back end of the year and hopefully, we can get some players back from injury as well to boost that.

“We are a year ahead as far as how we understand the game plan and how we implement it. The stuff that we’re getting wrong at the moment is not related to that.

“So, we’ll be looking to make a charge towards September, but we do have to get ourselves there first by winning so that’ll start this weekend.”
 
AFL early mail: All the selection and injury news ahead of round 16

MATT FORREST, JON RALPH, JOSH BARNES and JAY CLARK

25 June 2024.

News Sport Network

GWS Giant Sam Taylor will meet with a specialist on Wednesday to determine when he will be able to return from a ruptured testicle.

Taylor had surgery last week on his testicle after hurting it in the win over Port Adelaide, and has already missed one game.

There are hopes he may only miss two or three more matches but he will meet with a specialist on Wednesday to assess his recovery before committing to a timeline.

Taylor is one of the best defenders in the league who has re-signed with the club early in the face of massive league-wide interest in his services.

The Giants are hopeful Stephen Coniglio (shoulder) and Harry Perryman (hamstring) will pass fitness tests this week in a bid to take on Adelaide on Saturday.

Taylor missing gives young key defender Leek Aleer a longer stint in the side.



AFL contract news: Lachie Ash and Charlie Comben re-sign with GWS and North Melbourne

LACHLAN MCKIRDY and GLENN MCFARLANE

25 June 2024

News Sport Network

The Giants have locked away one of the most important parts of their orange tsunami with Lachie Ash agreeing terms to a two-year contract extension.

The 23-year-old excelled in 2023 after cementing his role off halfback as the launch pad into attack alongside Lachie Whitfield. The former number four draft pick played 26 matches and averaged almost 24 disposals a game as the Giants went all the way to the elimination final.

After signing a two-year extension early last season, Ash said it was always his intention to stay at the club with his new deal set to take him through to the end of 2027.

“The only reason we didn’t do four years last year was we were probably not going great at that time,” Ash said. “If I had left it another month, I would have signed four years on the spot.

“It was a pretty easy decision. I’m just happy to get it over and done with.

“The core group of players are all locked away on longer term deals and I think that’s a show of faith in where we think the club’s going.

“It’s great to be a part of that, we see the light at the end of the tunnel. The body of work over the last 18 months under Kingers (coach Adam Kingsley), we can all see that we’ll get our rewards eventually.”

It’s been a difficult season for Ash having dealt with one of the longest injury stretches of his career. Since being drafted, he has been almost a permanent fixture for the Giants but missed a month and a half with a calf injury.

For a player who thrives on momentum and consistency, it did throw a slight spanner in the works. But after successfully returning against the Swans last weekend he’s looking forward to having an impact in the back half of the year.

“I’ve been very lucky (with injury),” Ash said. “It was different and something I hadn’t experienced before. It became a good learning experience.

“You can step away from the club and look at the things you normally gloss over when you’re in the rhythm of playing every week.

“I think Kingers has talked a lot about our ball movement being slow. So I’ll try to take that on again now and be a bit quicker because that’s one of my strengths. Hopefully, I can continue to have an impact as can those boys still to come in – Coniglio, Perryman, Taylor, etc.

“It was a tough five or six weeks. It wasn’t enjoyable at all, especially when the boys weren’t going well. But it’s good to be back now and contributing, hopefully we can win a few games and get ready to roll into September.”

The Giants’ inconsistency over the past two months has led some to question their premiership credentials. Internally, the club is still extremely confident that their best footy stacks up.

While fundamental errors have let them down in recent weeks, there are signs that they are slowly turning a corner, especially with reinforcements like Coniglio and Perryman set to return against the Crows this Saturday.

The message to the players has been finding the trust again that was so crucial in last year’s finals run. If they can do that, Kingsley is confident they will be tough to beat.

“We’ve been playing really good footy in patches and then dropping away in patches,” Ash said. “It’s just about doing it consistently for four quarters, which is something we did really well in the back end of last year.

“It starts with that pressure and trusting our system. Talking to Kingers this morning, we’re not trusting our system as much as other teams like the Swans, they have full faith in what they’re doing and don’t have any hesitation towards that.

“That little bit of hesitancy and that second here or there kills you in today’s game. So trying to get that out of our game and play our natural instincts and trust that what we’re doing will go a long way.”
 
Colonial said:
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Lobbying over Northern Academies are ’political’ moves by jealous Vic clubs: GWS boss David Matthews

Victorian clubs have been happy to pinch ‘homesick’ players from expansion clubs, writes GWS boss David Matthews. But he says now talented youngsters are developing in Northern Academies, there’s outrage.

Scott Gullan

26 June 2024

News Sport Network

GWS Giants boss David Matthews has labelled Victorian clubs lobbying to change the New South Wales and Queensland academy programs as narrow-minded political grandstanding.

He also called on the league to ignore those who have no interest in growing the talent pool outside of Victoria.

Matthews was a key executive at the AFL – the general manager of national and international development – and responsible for setting up the talent pathways before being given the task of overseeing the Giants’ introduction to the AFL in 2012.

In the Giants submission to the AFL’s competitive balance review of the father-son and academy set-up, Matthews said the league should be investing more – not less – in the Sydney market.

“As the person helping to shape this strategy for the AFL in the first place, I wouldn’t wind back any of it, I would go harder,” he said. “The industry needs to be more aggressive in growing the talent pool, particularly if a 19th team is imminent.

“More talent in northern academies means more talent across the whole competition.

“Victorian clubs were happy to play the homesick card and feast on Tom Lynch, Stephen May, Dion Prestia and Jaeger O’Meara, but when the Suns develop talent in their own backyard, there is suddenly outrage.

“We need a far bigger national talent pool, we are aiming to be a national game not just a national competition. That’s the reality now and even more important with the Tasmanian team to come.

“We’re supposed to be a national competition yet we talk about ‘interstate’ clubs. Interstate from where?

“Grow the game nationally for the betterment of the whole competition and stop worrying about noisy southern clubs who have no interest or role to play in developing talent. Stop complaining when you’re not going to take on the responsibility to be part of the solution.

“It highlights the fundamental importance of an AFL Commission – to make national, strategic decisions.”

The Giants have already been hurt by previous zone changes with the Albury/Murray border region taken off them after “scare mongering” from rival Victorian clubs.

“The Academy strategy in NSW and QLD is starting to work in the best interests of the code,” Matthews said. “The strategic aim of growing the talent pool for every club’s benefit is being delivered upon.

“Most companies in other industries therefore wouldn’t dilute a strategy working in regions where they are weak or soft; they would invest more.

“Any further changes to the Academy will only be made for political purposes. No other reason. Politics overriding strategy.

“Removing Albury from our Academy was an example of that, when Victorian clubs were up in arms about potential top-30 Academy talent that never eventuated anyway. Kids who had been in the Academy all their lives were the ones that missed out on clear pathways to the AFL.

GIANTS' TALENT POOL

Recent GWS Giants academy picks:
• 2023: 1 (Harvey Thomas – pick 59, GWS)
• 2022: 2 (Harry Rowston – pick 16, GWS, Nick Madden – Category B rookie, GWS)
• 2021: 3 (Josh Fahey – pick 42, GWS, Patrick Voss – pre-season draft – Fremantle, Cooper Sharman – mid-season draft – St Kilda)
• 2020: 2 (James Peatling – mid-season draft – GWS, Nick Murray – pre-season draft -Adelaide)
• 2019: 1 (Tom Green – pick 10, GWS)
• 2018: 1 (Kieren Briggs – pick 34, GWS)
• 2017: 1 (Nick Shipley – pick 64, GWS)

“The strategy is already being delivered in a way that ensures that clubs in NSW and QLD have to pay fair value for players.”

Matthews pointed out that the two newest expansion clubs, the Giants and Gold Coast Suns, were clearly disadvantaged by not having access to father-son selections.

“The Gold Coast Suns and GWS Giants are a decade or more away or more from father and son prospects but nobody seems to worry about that,” he said.

The Giants CEO also called for the specific removal of the bidding system for players from the western Sydney region to increase talent from the area.

“Western Sydney is home to Australia’s largest Indigenous population, yet only two per cent of the Giants Academy is made up of Indigenous participants from Western Sydney – a market where overall participation is declining,” Matthews said.

“We again request that the Academy Bidding System be removed in the designated Western Sydney region for a set period and the Albury/Murray border region be reinstated.”

Three players from Western Sydney have been drafted to the Giants in the 13 years of the club’s existence while over the past seven years 11 Giants Academy products have been drafted – three to other clubs.

Gold Coast CEO Mark Evans last week released a document he provided the AFL which highlighted the stark unfairness of the competition for the expansion clubs.
 
Gold Coast boss Mark Evans and GWS coach Adam Kingsley on academy list rules, disadvantages across the competition

CALLUM DICK and LACHLAN MCKIRDY

28 June 2024

News Sport Network

Gold Coast officials left Tuesday’s league briefing unshaken in the view that northern academy list rules should remain unchanged unless significant progress is made to mitigate the inherent disadvantage interstate and expansion clubs face.

It is expected the AFL will change the current rules around father-son, northern academy and next generation academy bidding while also revamping the Draft Value Index, with final recommendations to be put to the AFL Commission in early August.

The majority view among attendees was that any changes to the current system should not be implemented ahead of this year’s draft, given clubs had already planned well in advance under the current system.

And while the Suns would welcome that, they remain firm in the view that academy access should be expanded – not retracted – across the league for any clubs willing to invest the time and resources into building a fruitful pathway program.

And if said access is limited, then the AFL should also seek to rectify other inherent competitive balance concerns, lest the Suns lose their only genuine advantage.

“Our position was there aren’t too many things that advantage the Suns in the whole system and it would be wrong to address just one thing,” Suns CEO Mark Evans told this masthead.

“So we would be advocates for keeping the eligibility and the acquisition criteria the same for northern academies, but making it better for clubs that have next generation academies so that they get access to the players that at the moment they are excluded from unless they are outside of pick 40.

“So long as they do the development of the player, they should be able to get the player. Make sure you are running meaningful programs to attract and keep kids in the game. If they do the work, they should have access to those players.

“The bidding system we’re advocates for keeping that similar to the way it’s currently operated.”

As reported by the Herald Sun last week, Evans this month submitted a detailed document to the AFL titled “Summary of Advantage and Disadvantage” that highlighted the challenges clubs like Gold Coast and GWS in particular face in a league littered with competitive inequalities.

Evans’ submission detailed 15 key factors that underpin competitive advantage in the AFL and why only one factor – the northern academy program – applied to his club.

The Suns feel that without knowing what further checks and balances might be made to accommodate other areas of competitive disadvantage, such as travel and fixturing, they cannot have an opinion on whether mooted changes to academy eligibility are fair or otherwise.

Gold Coast’s draft haul of four first rounders last year through its academy access put the Suns in the crosshairs of rival clubs and is likely what led to expedited discussion around the draft bidding process.

But the Suns would feel incredibly hard done by if their only area of strength was handicapped, while the other 14 areas of competitive concern as detailed by Evans in his submission are not also considered.

Evans said he had not received a response from the AFL in the wake of his submission, nor did he necessarily expect to. But he hoped the detailed summary helped illuminate exactly why the Suns were so strongly opposed to limiting their academy access, given all the other disadvantages they faced as an interstate expansion club.

The club has built its Suns Academy program from less than 100 participants at its inception to more than 1000 and contributes north of $1 million per year to help develop future AFL caliber talent.

KINGSLEY DOUBLES DOWN

Giants coach Adam Kingsley has doubled down on the comments from club CEO David Matthews around the AFL’s Academy system, labelling the current debate as “a little misguided”.

It follows Matthews’ suggestion on Wednesday that Victorian clubs lobbying to change the Academy bidding process for clubs in the northern states are overlooking the importance of growing the wider talent pool for the competition.

Having spent the majority of his coaching career in Victoria, Kingsley believes he is uniquely placed to understand the challenges of the AFL market in Sydney.

And not even two years into the role, he has already seen how vital it is to celebrate the Academy program for clubs such as GWS, Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane.

While the Giants certainly have their largest foothold yet in the Western Sydney market, Kingsley argues that the amount of work left to do means more time and effort needs to be put in the market to truly make Australian rules the national game.

“I think the debate around it is a little misguided,” Kingsley said.

“I’ve sat in that chair down in Melbourne and you need to come up here and understand that there’s really no one in Western Sydney who plays our game or supports our game.

“It’s two and a half million people. That’s the last area within Australia that is a significant growth opportunity. So, we need to invest in that area and we need to invest more than what we currently do.

“If we can do that, then I think the game reaps the rewards through finances, but also through participation and player availability. The more kids in Western Sydney playing the game, the more opportunities we have to pick those guys. But so do the Melbourne clubs because ultimately we still have to match bids on them and pay a fair price to get them.

“We need to increase participation. And the more (local) kids we take or Gold Coast take, the more Victorian kids there are to stay in Victoria and play for them.

“I think we need to broaden our vision around what’s really important and try and do our best to maximise that growth, participation and make the game better.”

Kingsley also suggested that for clubs like the Giants and Suns, having regulated access to Academy talent is crucial because they are still some distance away from being able to take Father-Son talent.

When a club like Carlton could finish in the top two this year and still have access the Camporeale twins, Ben and Lucas, who are considered two of the better players in the draft crop, being able to match bids on Academy players is a way to provide some balance to what will always be a slightly unbalanced system.

“We don’t have that luxury, if you want to call it that,” Kingsley said. “I think it’s a great system the Father-son, but we don’t have that opportunity yet.

“So, I think the Academy is quite similar in a sense. The role of the Academy is to grow the game in a region where it’s currently not really seen as a competitor to NRL or other sports like soccer.

“It’s absolutely critical that we invest in this.”

The Giants were already heavily punished at the end of 2016 when the Albury and Murray River region was removed from their Academy zone due to a perceived influx of talent from Victorian clubs.

A potential crop including Will Setterfield and Zach Sproule sparked the move from the AFL with the concern that too many young generational talents from the region were ending up at a club in Western Sydney. Combined, the two eventually played less than 20 games for the Giants.

Others like Harrison Macreadie, Kobe Mutch and Max Lynch were never taken by the club and are already out of the AFL system.

In his comments earlier this week, Matthews indicated that it would be his preference that the Albury-Murray region was reinstated as part of the Giants’ Academy zone.

Harvey Thomas was the most recent player to graduate from the Giants Academy to the AFL after being selected last year at pick 59. However, it’s clear the club still heavily invests in the Albury region, with their first-round pick Phoenix Gothard and category B rookie Nathan Wardius both hailing from the area.
 
“interstate clubs” is there a more derogatory term in a national comp?

Listen up you VFL fishbowl ****ers, you’re interstate to us in this NATIONAL comp.

Didn’t want it to be a national comp then shouldn’t of expanded, which by the way you needed considering most VFL clubs were headed to bankruptcy.
 

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AFL 2024: GWS coach Adam Kingsley responds to South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas’ strong Gather Round claim

LACHLAN MCKIRDY

04 July 2024

News Sport Network

Giants coach Adam Kingsley believes that if the AFL’s main goal is to grow the sport around the country, Gather Round should eventually come to New South Wales.

His comments come in response to South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas’ strong claim that Gather Round would not have worked in Sydney.

Recalling his initial conversations with then AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan, Mr Malinauskas shared his belief that having the first Gather Round in NSW could have ruined the concept.

“I told him (McLachlan) the truth – I said I’ll say no to it because, after year one, it’ll be dog sh*t,” Mr Malinauskas said on the Dyl and Friends podcast. “You’ll go to Sydney and you’re gonna have Brisbane versus Freo in a stadium and I’ll be able to count on one hand how many people are there.”

Kingsley has spoken openly across the past year about the need for more initiatives to help grow the game in the northern states, particularly in the diverse Western Sydney region. This year’s inaugural Opening Round concept saw two sold out games in three days in Sydney, the Sydney-Melbourne season opener and the Giants-Pies preliminary final rematch.

And although he was happy to concede that Gather Round has been a successful venture in Adelaide, the Giants coach suggested it was important to reflect on what the goal of the weekend actually is.

“It just depends on what the priorities are at head office, really,” Kingsley said.

“If they want to make money and they want to have their record attendances and all that sort of stuff, then Gather Round in Adelaide is fantastic. There’s no question about that.

“If their ambition is to grow the game and try to tap into a market that is currently untapped, then I think Sydney is the option. And then it just becomes a matter of priorities at head office and it’s far from me to determine what their priority is or should be.”

Having spent a large chunk of his playing and coaching career in South Australia with Port Adelaide, Kingsley was wary not to be drawn into a war of words when quizzed about the Premier talking down the success of footy in NSW.

However, he felt that the success of the Opening Round concept in Sydney this year proved that there is an appetite towards marquee AFL events in the city.

“If you ask South Australians, they have animosity towards Victorians and West Australians and everyone. So it’s not a big deal, I don’t think,” Kingsley said.

“We’ve got plenty of opportunities to showcase our game up here. Opening Round this year I thought was a fantastic initiative. We packed it out, brought the game to a different audience and that’s what we need to continue to do. Come up with little things like that will help grow our game and turn it into the most important game in the country.

“It’s neck and neck at the moment, and we need to jump above the other sports.”

The AFL has currently locked in a deal with the South Australian government to host the next two Gather Rounds. However, reports have suggested the league is looking at hosting multiple similar rounds across the country in future seasons.

NEED FOR SPEED TO INSPIRE GIANTS TO TAKE DOWN BLUES

If Adam Kingsley has his way against Carlton this weekend, the Giants will have the need. The need for speed.

Thursday’s main training at Engie Stadium was an intense session for the GWS players with Kingsley incredibly vocal in demanding match-like standards from his players.

For at least the last 20 minutes, the Giants’ first-choice midfield was put through its paces in a drill simulating movingthe ball off halfback into their forward 50. If any player hesitated, they were quick to be told off by the second-year coach. If forwards were not leading with intensity or finding open space, Kingsley would call them out.

While the session left some frustrated with connections still not quite clicking, by the end, there were signs of the clinical, efficient ball movement that the Giants have become known for.

Kingsley admitted afterwards that speed wasn’t necessarily a part of the game he felt they had been lacking. But it’s the consistency at making the most of their inside 50s where he wants to see some improvement against the Blues on Saturday.

The Giants are still buoyant about their premiership chances despite only winning two of their past eight matches. And their coach was confident that it’s not win or bust this weekend against Carlton.

“I’ve been reasonably pleased with our ability to re-establish that part of our game,” he said. “It’s just the finish now that we need to tidy up.

“There were a few different things we need to get better at. But the main one is our ability to score. We’re generating enough inside 50s, but we’re not finishing our work.

“I’m more focused on re-establishing our brand as opposed to trying to make finals or trying to win premierships at this point in time. If we play the way we want to play, the score will take care of itself.”

But it’s not going to stop them from making a raft of changes as they look to get back into the winner’s circle.

Aaron Cadman and Darcy Jones both look set to return. Cadman kicked five goals and Jones two in the Giants’ VFL win over Southportlast weekend, and will both provide a much-needed boost of energy to a struggling forward line.

Jake Riccardi and Callum Brown were both training with the reserves on Thursday, but it’s unlikely both will be dropped, especially with Riccardi’s ability to pinch-hit in the ruck. Josh Kelly is the one confirmed out, while it’s like Cadman will replace second-gamer Max Gruzewski.

“(Cadman and Jones) in the past two weeks have been really strong in the VFL,” Kingsley said. “Cads has been dominating in the air and competing well, Jones has been really strong at ground level and providing pressure.

“It’s really trying to tidy up our decision-making and our options ahead of the ball more than personnel. The personnel we’ve had there, except for Harvey (Thomas), have been the same as what we were early this year or late last year when we were able to score.

“We have faith in all our guys to be able to turn it around. It’s just a matter of do we try and do it at AFL level, or do we send one or two players back like we did Cadman a couple of weeks ago to recapture some form?

“The contest element I’ve spoken about regularly this year, we’ve got to try and improve that. It is a strength of Carlton’s, particularly in their back half, so we’re gonna get challenged with that. We’ve got to be able to win the ball.”

Kingsley also confirmed that Toby Bedford is likely to be handed another tagging role against the Blues.

While he had some success against Jordan Dawson last weekend, the Giants were criticised for not putting him on the dangerous Izak Rankine.

Sam Walsh stands out as the obvious choice, especially after James Jordon’s impressive job in the Swans’ win over Carlton.

Jones’s return also means that the Giants’ forward line isn’t losing as much speed and pressure as a result of Bedford’s run-with role.
 
Colonial said:
Literally admit the TFG rule was brought in only for him, says that when Riewoldt did it they changed the rule back (commonsense 🙄), now Jessie does it they are annoyed again.
VFL media

Click to expand...

I imagine most players would prefer Hogans boot to Moores knee. A few stop marks beats 6 broken ribs and a lacerated spleen.
 
AFL Rising Star 2024: GWS Giants’ Darcy Jones earns round 17 nod after 18 disposals in win against Carlton

LACHLAN MCKIRDY

09 July 2024

News Sport Network

If there’s a play that sums up Giants livewire Darcy Jones, it happened during the dying stages of the third quarter in the win over Carlton.

It wasn’t a runaway goal and it wasn’t his speed putting him into space. But with less than a minute to go and the Giants already in the ascendancy, Jones lifted himself off the ground and smothered a Zac Williams kick.

The moment sparked a GWS counter attack that led to Jesse Hogan’s fifth goal and a 12-point turnaround that proved vital for a match that finished with only two goals between the teams.

“That’s what I try to have front of mind,” Jones said. “That’s what I want the main theme about my game to be, smothers and pressure tackling, all that.

“The rest will come with it and take care of itself. The message was really getting after them and think defence first.

“(Kingsley) just wants speed in the game. I try to almost suffocate them and try and give them no time and space. I’ve worked hard on tackling technique, all that stuff to make sure I’m not getting stepped, and did a lot of work coming into this week.”

Jones was one of many Giants who starred against the Blues, finishing with a goal, 18 disposals, seven score involvements and two tackles inside 50. The performance earned him the round 17 Rising Star nomination, which followed an incredible endorsement by his coach post-match.

“We’d like a few more (of him on the field),” Kingsley said.

“He hasn’t played a lot of footy, Darcy. It’s less than 10 games. The growth in him, and what he could become, is enormous.

“He’s got great speed, he’s got a real want to pressure and tackle. But he’s also a beautiful finisher. He’s going to be a really good player for us for a long period of time.”

Only two years into his career, Jones has already experienced more injury pain than most. After being selected with the 21st pick of the 2022 draft, an ACL injury ruled him out for his entire first season.

He finally burst onto the scene this year in round seven against the Lions. But another injury, this time a hamstring strain, threatened to derail another campaign. Rather than focus on the negatives, especially when it was a soft-tissue injury for a player whose main weapon is speed, Jones’s optimism continues to guide him.

“I was so excited to come back into it,” Jones said. “I just wanted to bring that speed, pressure and tackling.

“My mindset when I get injured now is really positive. Obviously, I did my knee last year and I think if I’m doing injuries that are not too bad, like five weekers, I’m kind of grateful.

“Then, if the physios and doctors all say that I’m good to play then I’m always 100 per cent confident. There’s no way they’d ever send me out if I wasn’t 110 per cent ready to go.”

Jones played an important role in stemming the flow against the Blues last weekend. His goal right on quarter time gave the Giants the confidence that they could be within striking distance. The result by the final siren gave them the belief that their best footy is still good enough.

And while qualifying for finals is now the focus at the club, Jones knows that he still needs to think week by week.

Having pace to burn will always help his selection case – “If we’re going off statistics, I do have the highest speed,” he joked – but being part of a team full of superstars is enough motivation to get better every week.

“We all play for each other,” Jones said. “If one person is pressuring, it makes it so much easier for the next person to do it, and that makes life easier.

“I think the game was a good reminder of what we can do if we play to our strengths. I’m hoping that can be just the start of a great run in the back end of the season. We were hungry for a win and to turn the season around.

“I want to keep doing what I’m doing at the moment, but take it to another level. Things like tackles, get more tackles. Pressure? Ramp it up. And being clean with the footy and no turnovers.

“I want to take everything to another level.”
 
Brave New World said:
AFL Rising Star 2024: GWS Giants’ Darcy Jones earns round 17 nod after 18 disposals in win against Carlton

LACHLAN MCKIRDY

09 July 2024

News Sport Network

If there’s a play that sums up Giants livewire Darcy Jones, it happened during the dying stages of the third quarter in the win over Carlton.

It wasn’t a runaway goal and it wasn’t his speed putting him into space. But with less than a minute to go and the Giants already in the ascendancy, Jones lifted himself off the ground and smothered a Zac Williams kick.

The moment sparked a GWS counter attack that led to Jesse Hogan’s fifth goal and a 12-point turnaround that proved vital for a match that finished with only two goals between the teams.

“That’s what I try to have front of mind,” Jones said. “That’s what I want the main theme about my game to be, smothers and pressure tackling, all that.

“The rest will come with it and take care of itself. The message was really getting after them and think defence first.

“(Kingsley) just wants speed in the game. I try to almost suffocate them and try and give them no time and space. I’ve worked hard on tackling technique, all that stuff to make sure I’m not getting stepped, and did a lot of work coming into this week.”

Jones was one of many Giants who starred against the Blues, finishing with a goal, 18 disposals, seven score involvements and two tackles inside 50. The performance earned him the round 17 Rising Star nomination, which followed an incredible endorsement by his coach post-match.

“We’d like a few more (of him on the field),” Kingsley said.

“He hasn’t played a lot of footy, Darcy. It’s less than 10 games. The growth in him, and what he could become, is enormous.

“He’s got great speed, he’s got a real want to pressure and tackle. But he’s also a beautiful finisher. He’s going to be a really good player for us for a long period of time.”

Only two years into his career, Jones has already experienced more injury pain than most. After being selected with the 21st pick of the 2022 draft, an ACL injury ruled him out for his entire first season.

He finally burst onto the scene this year in round seven against the Lions. But another injury, this time a hamstring strain, threatened to derail another campaign. Rather than focus on the negatives, especially when it was a soft-tissue injury for a player whose main weapon is speed, Jones’s optimism continues to guide him.

“I was so excited to come back into it,” Jones said. “I just wanted to bring that speed, pressure and tackling.

“My mindset when I get injured now is really positive. Obviously, I did my knee last year and I think if I’m doing injuries that are not too bad, like five weekers, I’m kind of grateful.

“Then, if the physios and doctors all say that I’m good to play then I’m always 100 per cent confident. There’s no way they’d ever send me out if I wasn’t 110 per cent ready to go.”

Jones played an important role in stemming the flow against the Blues last weekend. His goal right on quarter time gave the Giants the confidence that they could be within striking distance. The result by the final siren gave them the belief that their best footy is still good enough.

And while qualifying for finals is now the focus at the club, Jones knows that he still needs to think week by week.

Having pace to burn will always help his selection case – “If we’re going off statistics, I do have the highest speed,” he joked – but being part of a team full of superstars is enough motivation to get better every week.

“We all play for each other,” Jones said. “If one person is pressuring, it makes it so much easier for the next person to do it, and that makes life easier.

“I think the game was a good reminder of what we can do if we play to our strengths. I’m hoping that can be just the start of a great run in the back end of the season. We were hungry for a win and to turn the season around.

“I want to keep doing what I’m doing at the moment, but take it to another level. Things like tackles, get more tackles. Pressure? Ramp it up. And being clean with the footy and no turnovers.

“I want to take everything to another level.”
Click to expand...
Straight into my veins.
 
Good week for our guys on the media awards.
Darcy with Rising star
Brent Daniels with Selwood 's underrated performance of the week
Buckley with the game of the year nomination for the round.
 

AFL 2024: GWS has backed Collingwood president Jeff Browne’s call for all 18 clubs to be involved in Opening Round​

Jeff Browne, you were right? That’s what Giants boss David Matthews says about his Collingwood counterpart’s Opening Round ultimatum to the AFL.

Scott Gullan
July 11, 2024 - 7:50PM

The GWS Giants have backed Collingwood president Jeff Browne’s call for all 18 clubs to be involved in Opening Round as a showcase of the northern states.

Browne is set to give the AFL an ultimatum at next week’s CEO’s conference in Perth saying the competition’s biggest club won’t be involved next year unless everyone else is because of the inequity it causes in the draw.

Giants chief executive David Matthews says there is overwhelming evidence that more big events are needed in the northern states to grow the game and backs the AFL to continue Opening Round in some form.

The Giants hosted Collingwood at ENGIE Stadium, defeating the reigning premiers by 32 points in Opening Round.

“Opening Round was an unqualified success and needs to become embedded,” Matthews said.

“The AFL and all four NSW and Queensland clubs are really clear on that. There is a need for big events and earlier fixtures in the northern states to capture attention and support the growth of the game.

“I think Jeff Browne’s comments are really beneficial. He has always taken a national and strategic view and he recognises the value Collingwood brings to these sorts of events.

“Collingwood’s weight helped us with the momentum to not only sell the game out but also build momentum into our membership earlier and faster than ever before. We have reached a record of over 35,000 members so far as a consequence.

“(AFL CEO) Andrew Dillon was fantastic in swiftly reacting to market challenges up here to introduce Opening Round in his first fixture in charge and it’s imperative it continues – whether that is with some or all of the teams playing on the opening weekend.

“Victoria will continue to host major events week in and week out and this is the best opportunity to kick off the season up here with a bang.”

Matthews was part of the initial push to have Gather Round in Sydney after seeing the success of the NRL’s Magic Round where they played a full round of games in Queensland.

The NSW Government promoted and relayed the idea to AFL boss Gillon McLachlan who decided to implement it in Adelaide rather than Sydney.

“The NSW Minister for Sport & Tourism at the time, Stuart Ayres, took the NRL’s Magic Round concept to the AFL to try to grow the Sydney market,” Mathews said. “It was about growing the fan base. Adelaide is nice but obviously a different proposition. I do like what it does for country footy because it’s important.

“But Sydney is an events market and we need to keep creating major events.”

The AFL scheduled four games over three days for Opening Round in the northern states as a response to the NRL starting its season in Las Vegas.

Melbourne kicked it off against Sydney at the SCG on the Thursday night. Carlton and Richmond were involved in games in Queensland with the Pies taking on the Giants on Saturday night.

Six days later they returned to Melbourne to play the Swans with Craig McRae’s reigning premiers going on to lose their first three games of the season.

“We finished the latest (in 2023, having played in the grand final against Brisbane) and we started the earliest in enemy territory,” Browne told the Herald Sun.

“It took a bit out of us (last year) … if everyone goes up there and plays the game there, I am happy with that, but we are not going to do like we did (earlier) this year.”

Browne said he could not understand why the AFL would not fixture “a mini Magic Round” to replicate the NRL experience to kickstart next season, with potentially five games in Sydney and four in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

He said it would have a different feel to Gather Round, which has been so successful in two different versions in Adelaide, but would be great in terms of promotion of the code.

“We would be fully supportive (of a full round),” he said. “We would build lunches around the game and work on the whole build up. It would be like a mini Magic Round.

“Half the teams could go to Brisbane and half the teams could go to Sydney.

“It neutralises disadvantage but also pumps up the development of those markets. We are fully supportive of that. We want to go there, but we want to make sure it is fair for everyone.”
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Bjo187 said:
This story is giving the giants great exposure in the national media. It's been front and centre for hours yesterday and today. The article is also very good, basically telling people to follow the club online. Remember to click on the link to the article as many x as possible so the 'gws giants' get into their algorithms as a popular topic 👍.

View attachment 2047294
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I respect Harley, but all he needed to respond was to laugh it off instead of telling our club what to do.
 

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