GWS forward Jeremy Finlayson celebrates one of his three goals for the Giants against the Bulldogs. Photo: GETTY IMAGES
Were you to use a boxing analogy to describe Greater Western Sydney’s elimination final win over the Western Bulldogs, it would involve one fighter delivering enormous physical punishment, and the recipient, pressed up on the ropes, desperately attempting to soak it up and somehow find a response.
The Giants had been embarrassed by their opponent at the same venue only two games ago, failing to kick a goal in the second half, and right from the start of this bout, seemed intent on making a statement as well as just getting the result.
They started landing the blows the moment the bell opened the first round, literally and metaphorically, the tackling ferocious, the pressure on the Bulldogs’ key men intense.
The only thing which didn’t reflect that dominance for nearly three quarters, funnily enough, was the scoreboard.
But when, late in the third term, GWS finally rained another flurry of blows upon their opponent which actually did translate into scores, four goals coming in time-on, the KO was delivered with a whole quarter still to be played.
This was a Giants’ team a whole lot stronger than that which had succumbed so meekly to the Dogs in round 22, the “ins” of Shane Mumford, Jeremy Cameron, Jacob Hopper, Jeremy Finlayson and Brett Deledio telling their own tale.
More importantly, this was a stronger brand they delivered, smashing the Bulldogs in virtually every major statistical category.
The Giants had 76 more disposals, 42 more contested possessions and a staggering 39 more forward entries, the final inside 50 count 76-37. That’s the stuff of a thrashing, and ultimately, that’s what this was.
It wasn’t immediately apparent, though. Certainly, the Western Bulldogs couldn’t have asked for a better start. From the very first bounce, Jack Macrae fed a handball out to Marcus Bontempelli.
Immediately infringed, an example of the sort of heat the Giants intended to apply to the Dogs’ star, the advantage call fell to Matt Suckling, who charged goalwards, took two bounces and slammed through the first goal, just 21 seconds in.
But that would prove to be not a hint of what was to come, but an illusion. For it was GWS which controlled this game for all but five or so minutes of the first half.
Lachie Whitfield had the Giants back on level terms with a beautiful set shot from the junction of the 50-metre arc and the boundary line. Toby Greene had the next, the Jeremys Finlayson and Cameron missed chances to extend the lead, but Greene’s second near quarter-time made the scoreboard look more reflective of the balance of power around the ground.
By the time Finalyson booted the opening goal of the second term, then Harry Himmelberg ran into an open goal, it was alarm bells time for the Bulldogs, the margin now 24 points.
The Giants had kicked five of the last six goals, they were dominating both clearances and contested possession, and the inside 50 count was a very lopsided 28-9.
Bontempelli, being buffeted all over the place, and not only by his tagger Matt de Boer, was moved into the ruck as Bulldog coach Luke Beveridge started shuffling the chess pieces. But it was the Giants themselves who kick-started the Bulldog fightback.
That was when Toby McLean, having just missed a shot at goal, became the grateful recipient of an errant kick-in from Zac Williams, making amends.
Only a couple of minutes later, a fairly inconsequential, but illegal push from GWS skipper Phil Davis on Aaron Naughton way off the ball was spotted, paid, and the Dogs had another. And when a couple of minutes after that Bontempelli’s speculative kick forward put big man Tim English into space and he charged into goal, it was suddenly back to only five points the difference.
Bontempelli missed a chance to put them in front, and Finlayson soon managed a steadier, but the Giants would have walked off at half-time feeling that for all their hard work, a lead of 10 points didn’t really do it justice.
But that anomaly would soon be taken care of. After Josh Schache brought the Dogs within four points again early in the third term, the Giants took over.
Josh Kelly, unusually quiet early, threaded a ripper from the tightest of angles. Daniel Lloyd snapped the next. Even when Ed Richards got it back to a couple of goals for the Bulldogs, they appeared to just be hanging on.
And the coup de gras was, in the finish, swift. Finalyson snapped his third goal. Lloyd latched on to a goal square mark for another. Greene cashed in, then Himmelberg.
It was 35 points at the final break, and out to 10-goals-plus after the first four of a last quarter which was miserable stuff indeed for the Bulldogs, long having since realised their fate, and the end of their season.
That made it eight goals in a row, 10 of the last 11, and by some margin the Giants’ most complete performance since their round four defeat of Geelong on the Cats’ own turf.
Midfield trio Whitfield, Hopper and Tim Tarranto were outstanding, almost 90 disposals combined the sum of their output. Mumford was his usual bullish self, dictating terms to the younger, much lighter English. De Boer in the finish held Bontempelli to just 13 disposals.
And so a team which has looked out on its feet at stages over the final month of the home and away season is instead right back in the ball game. An away semi-final is a bigger challenge again than GWS faced yesterday.
But if one message rang around Giants stadium for much of this game, it was that this is a fighter refreshed and more than ready to have a sizeable crack at any challenger.
GWS 3.5 6.9 12.11 16.17 (113)
W BULLDOGS 2.0 5.5 7.6 8.7 (55)
GOALS – GWS: Finlayson 3, Greene 3, Kelly 3, Lloyd 2, Himmelberg 2, Cameron 2, Whitfield. Western Bulldogs: Naughton 2, Suckling, McLean, English, Schache, Richards, Lloyd.
BEST – GWS: Whitfield, Taranto, Hopper, Greene, de Boer, Shaw, Finlayson. Western Bulldogs: Macrae, Wood, Suckling, Hunter, Lipinski.
INJURIES – GWS: Deledio (calf). Western Bulldogs: Naughton (knee)
UMPIRES: Foot, Williamson, Ryan
CROWD: 19,218 at Giants Stadium
