Greene's high five fires Giants to vital win in grand final rematchBy Andrew Wu
July 24, 2020 — 10.39pm
This season has seen two false dawns for Greater Western Sydney. Their first was the onset of the pandemic, the second a month ago after they toppled Collingwood. Giants fans will be hoping this is not a third.
Days after being labelled "a bunch of 22 individuals" by former teammate Brett Deledio, Leon Cameron's men breathed life into their spluttering campaign after withstanding a spirited late charge by Richmond to snap a two-game losing streak.
After bursting clear in the third term, the Giants gritted their teeth in a tense final quarter to sink the side which humiliated them in last year's decider, 9.8 (62) to 6.14 (50).
Nothing will avenge the grand final drubbing, but this win could provide the Giants with the spring they need to climb the ladder.
Fittingly, it was star forward Toby Greene who answered the SOS call, kicking the sealer in the dying minutes to end the Tigers' late charge.
After missing last week, Greene was the difference between the two sides in a low-scoring game, bagging five goals in a best-on-ground performance.
"He causes instability for the opposition because of his work rate and competitiveness," Cameron said. "We missed him last week, clearly. To kick five in a game is pretty special. He's a special player.
"What we do love is he hates getting beaten. He's always in the contest. One of the reasons he can bob up to kick five goals is he never gives up. That's his greatest trait. Players love playing with him because he drives the players beside him to be better. It was a fantastic performance."
Greene was one of a number of senior Giants who stepped up. Lachie Whitfield and Stephen Coniglio, both involved in the game-winning play, were influential, so too Josh Kelly, who played one of his best games of the season.
The Giants again lost the inside-50 count, 31-46, but apart from the second quarter were able to dictate proceedings by winning the midfield battle.
Though beaten, the Tigers will lose little belief that they cannot reverse the result should they meet the Giants in the finals.
They missed the midfield grunt of skipper Trent Cotchin and Dion Prestia. Their spark came from their champion Dustin Martin, whose team-high 23 disposals was complemented by two key goals.
Key forwards Jack Riewoldt and Tom Lynch had little impact while their defence had no answer for the rampant Greene.
There was much to like about the Giants' start. They dominated possession in the first term but, as has been their problem this season, this did not translate to a weight of inside 50s despite prime movers Kelly, Coniglio and Greene finding plenty of it.
Instead, it was the Tigers who kept the ball in their forward half for longer. What they lacked for value in possessions up the field was made up by their efficiency in their forward arc, their nine entries generating seven scoring shots.
The Tigers again dominated territory in the second but, unlike the first term, were now also having the match played on their terms. Such was the difficulty the Giants had in clearing the ball out of defence, it was as if there was a forcefield erected across their half-back line.
For all their control, the reigning premiers, with eight of their premiership side out, lacked the nous to make it count, producing just the one goal. Against the flow, the Giants winkled two late goals through Greene, who drained his set shot from long range, and Kelly, who threaded the needle from a boundary stoppage.
"I thought our system held up well. We had periods of complete dominance but we failed to execute on the scoreboard, that's the reality of AFL football. If you don't take your chances the opposition will," Tigers coach Damien Hardwick said.
"We had 12 inside-50s to one and they go back and score a goal. It probably reflected the game. I thought we were good for most of the night, probably lacked a bit of polish."
The best of the Giants was on show in the first half of the third. They seized the ascendancy from the centre, a rare occurrence for them since the resumption of the season, and their forwards, relishing the extra space, did the rest.
Holding on for dear life after Greene curled one from near the boundary for his fourth, the Tigers lifted their pressure. What had been a clear path for Kelly, Coniglio and co was now filled with yellow and black potholes.
Martin willed himself to fight the orange surge, winning key balls around the packs and kicking the goal which sparked their revival.
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/greene-s-high-five-fires-giants-to-vital-win-in-grand-final-rematch-20200724-p55fbf.html
