Giant defensive effort grabs a finals win for the ages

A jubilant Brent Daniels celebrates kicking the matchwinner for GWS against Brisbane. Photo: AFL MEDIA

An epic game, one of the better AFL finals of the last few years. And in the finish, Greater Western Sydney’s thrilling three-point win over Brisbane was one of the epic defensive efforts.

The Giants had set themselves up for a real crack at this away final with a terrific start. They hung in there under the fiercest of assaults from a Brisbane team full of momentum and buoyed by the energy of a parochial home crowd.

The dam wall look likely to burst for nearly the entire final term as the Lions launched attack after attack, 19-6 the very lopsided inside 50 count in that frantic final quarter. But after finally conceding the lead for what seemed certain to be the final time, the Giants somehow wrenched it back.

It was small forward Brent Daniels whose checkside snap with two-and-a-half minutes remaining regained the lead for GWS. But it was the Giants’ back six who emerged the biggest heroes, none bigger than skipper Phil Davis and Nick Haynes, who repelled just about everything.

The reward for the Giants’ tireless efforts was a first finals win outside Sydney, and a preliminary final spot for a third time in four seasons.

Once again, at the MCG in front of a massive Collingwood army, the Giants will go in very much the underdog. But with resilience like this, who would dare dismiss their chances?

For a second finals evening in a row, it was the team which started best which won the game, despite some nerve-wracking twists and turns along the way.

This was an explosive start, and it was the Giants doing the most significant exploding, on the scoreboard. But things weren’t going to plan for Brisbane even before that, Charlie Cameron hyper-extending his right arm in an accidental clash with teammate Lachie Neale in the first minute.

Then some ill-discipline got Brisbane into trouble. Toby Greene snapped the first goal of the game which sparked some push and shove, Lions defender Darcy Gardiner conceding another free kick before the re-start when he got his hands in Jeremy Finalyson’s face.

Two goals became three when Greene’s pressure caused Luke Hodge to kick out-on-the-full and Jeremy Cameron snapped truly, and from the next centre bounce, Daniel Lloyd marked and goalled on the 50-metre line.

Four goals in under 10 minutes spelt big trouble for Brisbane. But the Lions’ response was no less emphatic. Jarrod Berry kicked things off. Eric Hipwood marked in front and made it two goals.

A far bigger lifter, however, was the sight of Cameron, who’d returned to the field clearly favouring his right arm, marking, grimacing as he hit the turf putting all his body weight on the injury, but still goalling on the snap.

And when a beautiful centre hit-out from Stefan Martin found Neale on the burst and Zac Bailey’s centre was marked and converted by Zorko, it was just two points the difference, Brisbane now with all the momentum and six points in front by the time Jarrod Lyons kicked his first.

Kudos, then, to the Giants for promptly dominating the second term, four of the next five goals restoring most of their early advantage.

Greene was attracting the hoots of the Gabba faithful every time he went near the ball. Which meant that they were hooting a lot.

His second goal was a typically smart piece of playing, throwing a boot at the ball knowing he had no time to gather it cleanly. Jacob Hopper slipped out the back to mark behind Luke Hodge, till then impregnable as a spare defender for the Lions.

Then Brisbane switched off to its cost once more as Shane Mumford dished off a handball to Zac Williams and the running defender did the rest.

The Lions’ mids were being denied the ball again, Matt de Boer particularly effective on Neale, and Cameron and Finlayson looking threatening every time the Giants banged it inside 50, either with a goal shortly before half-time as GWS went to the break with a two-goal advantage.

It had been an intense, high-octane and draining half of football. And that became more obvious as the third term turned into slog, the fatigue apparent early.

Nine goals in the first quarter and seven in the second turned into just three, the Giants striking first through Cameron for a 19-point lead and potentially only one or two more straight kicks from breaking the Lions’ resistance.

Brisbane needed something in a hurry, and it found it. Berry squandered a couple of chances, the Lions, like last week, generating scoring opportunities but unable to capitalise on them.

After 18 more minutes of goalless but titanic football, Daniel McStay’s left foot snap which sailed through was a big moment indeed for the Lions. Bigger would come, Cameron reappearing on the scene to mark and let loose from 50, prompting one of the loudest roars the Gabba has heard for a long time.

It was back to under a goal the difference, both sides weary, but with a quarter to go, everything still to play for.

Hipwood had Brisbane in front in under three minutes of the restart, hitting the post with an admittedly tough chance to extend that lead. Hugh McCluggage, who seemed to be everywhere, missed a chance.

But just as costly was the Lions’ defensive lapse a couple of minutes later, when Josh Kelly was somehow able to stay unmarked in a forward pocket as teammate Cameron considered his options, finding the classy mid, whose classy finish restored the Giants’ lead.

So Brisbane came harder. Now Oscar McInerney hit the post. But more often than not, the Lions won the midfield contests, bombed the ball inside 50, only to see Davis, Haynes, Williams and Heath Shaw just mopping things up and clearing the lines.

Allen Christensen’s cool finish from a free kick 35 metres out surely was the moment the Lions finally pounced on their prey. There was only a tick over five minutes left on the clock. The ball seemed parked permanently in Brisbane’s forward 50.

But no. As it forced back yet another Brisbane forward foray, GWS had one shot left in the locker. It involved a lucky break, Same Reid’s “handball” to Kelly deserving of the inverted commas but with the umpire unsighted.

But Kelly, under fierce heat, got a handball to Greene. Similarly pressured, he dished off to Harry Himmelberg, who hard up against the boundary line, sent a speculative kick higher than long.

It bounced up as a 50-50 ball. But it was Daniels who had the legs, sprinting from behind Alex Witherden, taking the ball on the 50-metre paint, taking a bounce and opening up the angle, and trusting his right foot to banana the ball through.

It was the coolest of finishes. And the way the Giants were able to pull this win from the fire, no one should doubt their capacity to keep the coolest of heads in an MCG cauldron next Saturday, either.

BRISBANE 5.2 7.4 9.9 11.14 (80)
GWS 4.2 9.4 10.10 12.11 (83)

CROWD: 30,034 at the Gabba