Defender Matthew Buntine pushed his claims for senior selection with another strong performance for  the UWS GIANTS in their 88-point loss to the Brisbane Lions Blacktown International Sportspark.

The GIANTS got off to a solid start in the first term, matching the strong Lions side on the scoreboard before the visitors pulled away with a seven goal second quarter.

After a hard-fought third term with both sides scoring three goals, the Lions ran away with in the final quarter.  Despite the result, UWS GIANTS Coach Brett Hand said there were some positives to come out of the game.

“We started the game quite well with some good ball use and winning the contested ball,” Hand said.  “We were able to compete at stoppages and create secondary stoppages regularly but as the game went on we let the ball out and were unable to prevent them from scoring.

“Our ball use when rebounding from the defensive 50 was inconsistent. We were unable to hit our forwards and turned the ball over which put our backline under pressure.

Hand said he was impressed by the way some of the players really took the game on, in particular Buntine who has had an interrupted start to the season after he suffered a punctured lung in a nasty collision in during the first NAB Cup match against Carlton at Blacktown in February.

“Matthew Buntine was our standout for the day, playing solid in defence, positioning himself well and assisting team mates with his ability to influence the contest and used the ball well when he had it in his hands.

“Will Hoskin-Elliott, Shaun Edwards, Nathan Wilson all provided some good running and rebounding ball and battled hard all game.

Hand said his side are looking to bounce back against the Gold Coast Suns this Saturday at Blacktown International Sportspark.

“It was disappointing to lose by such a large margin. Our players need to stay in the game for longer periods and work on their skills to minimize turnovers and their impact.

“In saying that, we are looking forward to turning this around against another AFL listed team in the Suns this weekend.”

Results:
Brisbane Lions 20.16.136 def. UWS GIANTS 7.6.48   

Best: Buntine, Wilson, Reid, Edwards, Hampton, Hoskin-Elliott

Goals: Ugle 2, Killworth , Growden , Downie , Reid , Redfern