The GIANTS and the Dogs will clash under the roof at Marvel Stadium in a fixture crucial to both sides’ finals aspirations.
AFL Round 21
Bulldogs v GIANTS
Thursday, July 31 at 7:30pm
Marvel Stadium | Wurundjeri Country
What It Means For The GIANTS
Six wins in a row and fresh off one of the best performances of the season has the GIANTS primed for a massive showdown with the Dogs.
Looking to continue their push for a top four spot, the GIANTS will take on the Dogs following an incredible comeback win over the Swans which saw them overcome a 35-point deficit in the second quarter to blow the Swans away after half time enroute to a 44-point win.
Buoyed by a strong half-time address from coach Adam Kingsley, the GIANTS completed a remarkable turnaround to produce possibly the best quarter of footy by any side this season, kicking 9.3 to the Swans’ 1.0 in an eye-catching third quarter to turn a 28-point half-time deficit into a 23-point lead at the final change.
Also holding the Swans goalless in the final term, the GIANTS’ intense pressure, slick ball movement, and elite finishing in front of goals all came together seamlessly in the third term to produce a scintillating 30 minutes of football to set up the huge Derby win.
While the orange tsunami is certainly surging towards September, the GIANTS will need to overcome the absence of three crucial pieces on Thursday night if they’re to take down the Dogs and make it seven wins on the trot, with Toby Greene (suspension), Jack Buckley (calf), and Josh Kelly (calf) all unavailable.
Currently sitting sixth at 13-6 ahead of Thursday night’s finals-shaping encounter, the GIANTS need to continue their winning ways not only give themselves a shot at a top-four finish, but also to remain in the top eight as nine sides battle out for a place in September.
The Opposition
While Thursday’s clash is crucial to the GIANTS’ finals aspirations it is arguably more important for the Dogs who likely need to win at least three of their final four games to give themselves a shot at playing in September.
Currently sitting ninth (11-8) and a game behind the Suns in eighth (12-6) who have a game in hand, the Dogs could find themselves out of the finals race if they fall to the GIANTS on Thursday night.
Giving them confidence, the Dogs have beaten the GIANTS on three straight occasions and will welcome the visitors to town off the back of an impressive win of their own after defeating Essendon by 93 points at Marvel Stadium last Friday.
Led by their stars in the big win, the Dogs will be hoping their big guns can carry their form into Thursday’s clash, with tall forward duo Aaron Naughton (seven goals) and Sam Darcy (six goals) combining for 13 goals in a dominant forward display against the Dons, while skipper Marcus Bontempelli was superb with 35 touches and two goals in the win.
The Dogs possessed the footy extremely well against the Bombers and will be hoping they can do similar against the GIANTS on Thursday, with the Dogs taking a whopping 126 marks compared to the Dons’ 71.
With their season likely on the line, expect the Dogs to come out firing against the GIANTS on Thursday night.
Recent History
It’s been almost two years to the day since the GIANTS last beat the Dogs, with Luke Beveridge’s side winning the last three encounters by an average of 32 points.
The most recent encounter, in round seven earlier this year, the Dogs kicked five unanswered goals in a crucial passage in the third term to run out 17.11 (113) to 12.9 (81) winners at Corroboree Group Oval, Manuka.
The last time the GIANTS beat the Dogs was at Ballarat’s Mars Stadium in round 20, 2023, with Adam Kingsley’s side registering an epic five-point win.
Key Match Up: Sam Taylor v Sam Darcy
Thursday night’s clash could feature a mouthwatering matchup between two of the league’s best key position players in GIANTS defender Sam Taylor and Dogs young gun Sam Darcy.
Darcy has wreaked havoc across the competition in the back half of the year since returning from a knee injury, with the young key forward kicking 24 goals across the last seven games to cement himself as not just a star of the future but a star of today.
Incredibly mobile for a man standing at 208cm and almost impossible to stop at full stretch, Darcy presents an immense challenge for even the league’s best backlines.
Darcy will have his work cut out for him on Thursday night however if opposed to star All Australian defender Sam Taylor who returned from injury with a starring performance against the Swans last week.
Despite having missed four games with a fractured toe, Taylor looked like he hadn’t skipped a beat against the Swans, finishing with 18 touches, 10 marks and a game-high nine intercept possessions in a brilliant return game.
Two stars of the game, the potential match-up between Taylor and Darcy shapes as a crucial battle set to play a major role in the outcome of Thursday’s game.
GIANTS Player To Watch: Harry Himmelberg
GIANTS defender Harry Himmelberg can often slider under the radar in a team filled with stars. That hasn’t been the case with the coaches over the past fortnight however, with Himmelberg receiving a host of Coaches’ votes across the last two weeks following two brilliant performances.
A reliable defender capable of playing on talls or smalls, Himmelberg is enduring another strong season in defence to become a vital piece in the GIANTS’ stingy backline.
Himmelberg will enter Thursday’s match arguably in career-best form as a defender, picking up eight coaches votes for a 23-disposal, 11-mark, one-goal game in the win over the Swans following seven votes the week prior for his 23-disposal, 11-mark game in the win over Essendon in round 19.
With the GIANTS’ key backs set to have their hands full against the red-hot duo of Sam Darcy and Aaron Naughton, Himmelberg’s ability to help out and go third-man up will be crucial in helping stop the Dogs’ high-powered forward line.
In The Mix
There’ll be at least three changes to this week’s GIANTS side, with Toby Greene (suspension), Jack Buckley (calf), and Josh Kelly (calf) all out against the Dogs.
Leek Aleer could come into contention to replace Buckley after being rested last week with soreness, while the likes of Jacob Wehr, James Leake and Max Gruzewski were all impressive in the VFL over the weekend as they push for an AFL recall.
Click here for a recap of last week’s VFL clash with the Swans.
Team Selection
The GIANTS will name their team to take on the Bulldogs at 6:20pm on Wednesday at gwsgiants.com.au.
Where To Watch
Thursday’s exciting clash will be shown live and free in NSW and the ACT on Channel 7 and 7plus from 7pm, as well as nationally on Fox Footy, Kayo, and Binge from 7pm.
