Giants back in top eight
Jeremy Cameron boots five goals as the Giants beat St Kilda and reclaim their top eight position.
PT1M30S 620 349GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 4.3 8.5 8.8 12.12 (84) ST KILDA 0.5 2.7 5.10 6.13 (49)
GOALS GWS: Cameron 5, McCarthy 2, Shiel, Steele, Lobb, Greene, Williams. St Kilda: Bruce 2, Sinclair, Steven, Weller, Riewoldt. BEST: GWS: Ward, Cameron, Treloar, Coniglio, Greene, Buntine St Kilda: Montagna, Steven, Newnes, Armitage, Roberton
UMPIRES Jeffery, Stephens, Fisher.
CROWD 9178 at Spotless Stadium.
Greater Western Sydney are back in the top eight after ending a month of outs with victory over St Kilda but their chances of staying there have been hurt by an injury to star playmaker Dylan Shiel.
And there is also a cloud over St Kilda star Nick Riewoldt, who is in doubt for the Saints' clash with Richmond on Sunday due to a calf problem.
Giant leap: Heath Shaw kicks ahead during GWS' drought-breaking victory over St Kilda on Sunday afternoon. Photo: Getty Images
The Giants are sweating on the results of scans on Shiel's right knee after he hobbled off the field during the second quarter of their 35-point win.
Shiel, considered by many to be a leading contender for All Australian selection, returned briefly but clearly hampered was subbed off and sent away for scans on a lateral ligament.
The Giants believe the injury is only minor but can ill afford to lose the gun midfielder at such a vital stage of the season.
"He's hurt his knee, we think he'll be OK but how much time he sits out we won't find out until tomorrow [Monday]," GWS coach Leon Cameron said.
Inside the eight by half a win, the Giants face Gold Coast on Saturday off a six-day break - a game which no longer shapes as a certain four points after the return of Gary Ablett.
But they will head north with their confidence restored after withstanding a spirited fightback by the Saints to snap a three-game losing streak.
They will be further buoyed by the return to form of Jeremy Cameron, who kicked five goals in his best game for nearly two months, while Callan Ward was inspirational with his grunt work when the game was up for grabs.
What loomed as a comfortable day in the office threatened to go pear shaped in the third term as St Kilda, responding to the urgings of coach Alan Richardson, started playing a more direct style.
It had been a one-sided game up until then with the Giants, who led by as much as 40 points shortly before half-time, showing more urgency at the contest, more poise when they had the ball and more desperation when they did not.
The complexion of the game changed after the Saints kicked four goals in a row either side of half-time, including three in quick succession to start the second half.
But despite a dominant quarter from Leigh Montagna and a lift from Jack Steven and Shane Savage they could not turn their ascendancy in field play into a torrent of goals and could bridge the margin no closer than 16 points.
This was due to some desperate defending by the Giants' undermanned back line and some high pressure - they amassed 28 tackles in the third term - further up the ground. GWS finished ahead in the tackle count and contested possessions.
"Sometimes we tackle really well but then our contested ball drops away and vice versa," Cameron said.
The break for the Giants came at the three-minute mark of the last quarter when Jimmy Webster had his kick-in poached by Toby Greene, who snapped truly for his team's first goal since the dying minutes of the first half. They then kicked three of the last four goals of the game.
"The last quarter probably summed up the game really. They were just better than us, they were tougher, they were much better in the contest, they ran a bit harder than we did," Richardson said.
Riewoldt finished the game on the bench with ice on his calf.
"He is a little bit sore in the calf," Richardson said.
"It is obviously only early. We will see how he responds and how he pulls up."
Earlier, former No.1 draft pick Jonathon Patton emerged unscathed in his comeback game from a knee reconstruction, collecting six possessions and a goal in close to a half of football.
"There's no other feeling in footy like being on the field with your mates and having a run around," Patton said.
"Everything just leaves your mind and you're back at peace again out there on the field."
