GIANTS VFL coach Wayne Cripps is taking the positives out of his side’s 10-point loss to the Swans on Saturday night as the GIANTS look to re-bound with a strong performance against Frankston in Blacktown on Saturday.
The GIANTS surged from four goals down in the final quarter to hit the lead in a thrilling encounter at the SCG on Saturday but were unable to notch their fourth straight win as the Swans steadied late to register a 12.13 (85) to 11.9 (75) victory.
In a match that saw his side have its three-game winning streak snapped, Cripps said his side were too slow to adjust to the wet and slippery SCG conditions.
“It was one of those days where you had to get used to that surge game and we didn’t adjust. They adjusted to the conditions better than us,” Cripps said.
“They were a lot cleaner than us in the contest and were able to get the ball going forward, whereas we probably flicked the ball around too much early in tight.”
Despite the loss, Cripps was upbeat following an improved second half and a red-hot final term, which almost saw his side steal victory despite being outplayed for most of the night.
“We walked away thinking pretty positive about the day as we felt like we weren’t at our best for three quarters [but still gave ourselves a chance to win],” he said.
“The Swans probably outworked us and outhunted us, especially in the first half. We tidied that up in the second half and to play the way we did and turn things around in the last quarter was really pleasing.
“We can really take away the fight that we showed, after putting ourselves in a position to hit the front 10 minutes into the last quarter despite all the stats probably suggested that shouldn’t have been the case.
“It was great fight from the boys, but we’ve got to learn from the first three quarters and make sure it looks like a GIANTS game for longer.”
The GIANTS will now look to return to their winning ways when they host Frankston at Blacktown International Sportspark on Saturday, with Cripps excited by the challenge.
“I’m really Looking forward to it. I know [Frankston coach] Jackson Kornberg well, and I know he’s a good coach and he’s got them humming at the moment,” he said.
“They’re playing some really good football and have started the season really well so they’re going to be a great challenge.”
The GIANTS and Frankston will face off at 11:05am on Saturday in Blacktown.
Cripps also shared his assessment on the 13 AFL-listed GIANTS who appeared in Saturday’s loss to the Swans.
AFL-listed GIANTS:
9. Ryan Angwin
15 disposals, two tackles, two clearances
“He’s just so reliable for us. You know he’s going to give 100 per cent every single time. He had some really good moments for us and battled hard all night.”
13. Isaac Cumming (injured his hamstring in the second term)
Eight disposals, three marks, two clearances
“We saw how valuable he is going to be for this footy club. He had a real impact early on, on both offence and defence. I wish him a speedy recovery and hope we can get him back out there as soon as we can.”
18. Conor Stone
16 disposals, three goals, three tackles
“He’s playing really consistent footy. He’s playing his role offensively and defensively, and he’s hitting the scoreboard. He’s applying pressure and playing his role in our system. He’s just got a great attitude and shows great effort every time he’s out there and this week was no exception.”
19. Nick Haynes
38 disposals, 14 marks
“He was good again, especially his leadership back there. Even with his experience and coming back at this level, he’s going back with the flight and giving it everything. He’s a competitive beast who just wants to win and keep playing good footy and he’s doing that. He’s giving us some great drive offensively and great direction defensively.”
21. Leek Aleer
Seven disposals
“It was one of those nights where keys [key position players] just had to compete. He’s had a couple of good weeks playing AFL footy and it can be a big adjustment coming back for players, but he came back with a good attitude and competed really hard.”
24. Harry Rowston
29 disposals, one goal, six marks, eight clearances
“He was good. Obviously, he was going up against a good quality AFL midfield in Luke Parker and [Angus] Sheldrick and [Braeden] Campbell, but he had some really good moments in there, especially on his spread. He had some good clearances. He’s still working on parts of his game but the good thing about him at the moment is that he’s consistently getting his hands on the ball as a midfielder, inside and outside. That’s been a growth for him, and he’s taken a big step forward in the last couple of weeks.”
25. Lachlan Keeffe
10 disposals, 10 hit-outs
“It was one of those nights for the big boys where you just had to compete and follow up and I think he did that. As always, he competed really hard.”
29. Phoenix Gothard
11 disposals, one goal, three tackles
“Phoenix just needs to get continuity with his footy. Once again, he showed his traits and he hit the scoreboard and put good pressure on. The more footy he plays the better he’s going to get.”
31. Toby McMullin
Nine disposals, four tackles
“He’s still learning some of that inside [midfielder] craft, and he spent a little bit of time forward as well. The best thing about his game at the moment is his intent on defence and stepping in, it’s becoming a real feature of his game. Then every time he gets the ball, he looks like he’s going to do something with it - he’s really damaging for us.’
33. Xavier O’Halloran
24 disposals, six marks, five tackles, six clearances
“It was great to see ‘X’ come back [to VFL level] and respond the way he did. He’s the one that really got us going in the last quarter. He looked like a man possessed in the last quarter around his hunt and defensive pressure and he really tried to will the side across the line. He was also really clean around the contest.”
34. Josh Fahey
22 disposals, five marks
“He was good across half back. His defensive decisions were a lot more consistent, and he we put him in the midfield to give us a bit more drive and penetration with his kicking in the second half and he had some good impact there for us.”
35. Max Gruzewski
10 disposals, three goals
“Max got some good reward, ending up with three goals. He competed really hard on a night that was tough for keys [key position players]. Once again, he’s just playing really consistent football. He hasn’t played a poor game yet, he keeps competing and hitting the scoreboard week in, week out.”
37. Joe Fonti
11 disposals
“Joe showed his traits once again. He’s learning his craft as a defender in an AFL system and he’s continuing to develop in that area. He’s another one who is going to get better and better with the more games he plays.”
41. Nick Madden
13 disposals, eight clearances, six tackles, 31 hit-outs
“He was really competitive once again. Similar to ‘X’ [Xavier O’Halloran], he really had a big last quarter and got us going with some really pivotal moments. We are starting to see that real competitive beast come out in him. There’s other areas of his game he’s going to continue to develop and he’s aware of that but he’s starting to become a really coachable player.”
43. Cooper Hamilton
Eight disposals, four tackles, two clearances
“A tough night for wingers, especially with the way we moved the ball with a lot more surging. But he was clean and stepped in well and played his role for us.”
45. Wade Derksen
19 disposals, seven marks, three tackles
“‘Derk’ had a big challenge with their key forwards who were pretty competitive on the night. The good thing about him at the moment is he is winning the ball back for us, whether it’s in the air or on the ground. He’s having great impact in winning the ball back in our back half and getting our offence going.”
VFL Player Shoutout: Matt Harms
17 disposals, one goal, four tackles
“He’s definitely given us some great energy forward of the ball. There’s no denying every time he goes near the ball good things happen. He’s hitting the scoreboard every week and he’s got a lot of score involvements, and his pressure is starting to become. A lot more consistent, so he’s a really important player for us.”
