Despite losing two key players to injury in the opening quarter, the Greater Western Sydney Giants underlined their top-four credentials with a gutsy 25-point win over the Western Bulldogs at Spotless Stadium on Sunday night.
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Giants too strong for Bulldogs
The GWS Giants defeated the Western Bulldogs by 25 points on Sunday afternoon.
Both Matt Buntine and the luckless Tim Mohr were out of the game by the opening change after Mohr suffering a hamstring strain in just his second game back from injury and Buntine suffered concussion after being hit side-on by Lin Jong.
Jong was reported for the incident, after Buntine bent down to reach the ball to be met firmly by the Bulldogs' midfielder. It only added to what proved to be a grim outing for Luke Beveridge's side.
Given the quality of the opponent and the mid-game circumstances, the win will rank as one of the Giants' best of the season, and may answer a lingering doubt or two about their ability to handle adversity.
But for the Bulldogs, it surely has to be regarded as an opportunity lost. After being outplayed in the first term, they managed to hit the lead early in the second term and boasted a numerical advantage that should have put them in the box seat.
Instead, the Giants went on a rampage that proved decisive in the final outcome, laying on five goals in a sensational 8½ minute burst that delighted most of the 9612 on hand. It was a spell that shocked the Dogs and split the game wide open.
Despite the odd spurt of resistance, the visitors never genuinely found a way back into the contest as the Giants refused to wilt. Bad kicking for goal didn't help; both sides had the same number of scoring shots but the Bulldogs managed five fewer goals.
And while Jake Stringer might have been dragging in all the headlines so far this season, it was a brilliant five-goal haul at the other end by Giants' spearhead Jeremy Cameron that made the difference. He set the tone with three in the first term, while Stringer finished the night with just a single major.
Heath Shaw was every bit Cameron's equal, coming out of defence and amassing 38 possessions, 36 of which were kicks, the most of any player since Geelong's Peter Featherby in round 16, 1981. Just as staggering, however, was that every single kick from Shaw hit a target.
They were ably supported by a lengthy support cast, Stephen Coniglio and ex-Bulldog Callan Ward taking care of the stoppages. As usual, the Giants' runners – Dylan Shiel, Tom Scully and Toby Greene – were almost untouchable.
Marcus Bontempelli (32 possessions) and Luke Dalhaus (28) battled away gamely for the Bulldogs but it was an otherwise unimpressive display.
The win lifts Leon Cameron's team above Sydney to third and firmly on track for their first finals appearance, extending their win-loss record to 7-2 and pushing them a game clear of the Bulldogs, West Coast and Hawthorn.
The Dogs were initially inspired when they saw the Giants reduced to just 20 fit men, eating away at the Giants' early lead and apparently growing in confidence when Stringer kicked truly after quarter-time.
The question was back on the Giants. Could they settle and respond, despite the numerical deficiency?
But they didn't respond so much as launch an all-out blitzkrieg. Five goals in 8½ minutes was machine-gun assault.
The first of those goals, a snap from Cameron off his left from near the arc, was sensational. But Shiel's check side effort soon after was just as good, and a turbo-charged goal from Scully, leaving others in his wake, was utterly breathtaking.
While the Bulldogs didn't fall completely away, their attempt at a comeback before the main break was lukewarm at best, leaving the Giants 17 points in the clear.
But a four goal to one third term set up a 34-point lead for the Giants and, from then on, it was a comfortable ride to the finish line on a night that proved the Giants – if they can keep this run going – are every bit the contender.
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