GIANTS coach Adam Kingsley has hailed the bond and selflessness of his role-playing forwards as a key reason for the GIANTS' surge up the ladder over the past five weeks.
The GIANTS have long been a team blessed with A-grade talent but finding the substance to bed in around them has been an issue in recent seasons.
That is starting to change under Kingsley, with the system well and truly clicking at he GIANTS, leading to a run of four wins in five games, including inspirational victories away from home against both Geelong and Melbourne.
And while their stars have been shining as per usual over that time, it's the previously unheralded forward line group of Toby Bedford, Brent Daniels, Xavier O'Halloran, Daniel Lloyd and Callum Brown that have built the platform in attack for the GIANTS to flourish.
That was underlined by Bedford's courageous contest and tackle – one of his seven for the game – in the dying moments of the triumph over the Demons on the weekend.
"I think it's been one of the most important things we've been able to do," Kingsley said.
"Real clarity around role and understanding what that means to us kicking goals rather than each individual.
"They're really selfless guys. Each of them have their moments across the course of the game. We celebrate those guys internally and what they do, even if on the stats sheet or externally they don't get the credit they deserve.
"But I think they're starting to now and people understand the value they hold to us."
While Kingsley conceded Daniels is only "touch and go" to return from a hamstring injury suffered in round 12 for this Saturday's home clash against Hawthorn, he admitted getting his forwards to buy in for each other has been an uncomplicated task.
"The challenges in that space come typically when you've had success and you look for a little bit more yourself after success. We clearly haven't had that yet so perhaps that's a reason," he said.
"Our challenge will be to hold onto that and maintain that level.
"The Geelong game was where we found our level around pressure and tackle and the hard stuff. That was the game that was our best and that set the standard for what we need to deliver each and every week."
The Cats triumph was one of four wins by under 10 points for the GIANTS this season, including Sunday's victory over Melbourne.
That came courtesy of Josh Kelly's long-range sealer – the midfielder who Kingsley says should be in All-Australian discussions – and is one of several thrilling encounters that the coach believes will serve them well when they eventually make it back to the finals.
"We've been in a lot of close games that have gone down to the wire. Whenever you're in the game towards the end of the last quarter it feels like a finals type game, so I'd like to think we've had some finals experiences without playing in any," he said.
The return to September action may even occur this season, with the GIANTS now just a game outside the eight with their next two home encounters to come against Hawthorn this week and then Gold Coast, either side of a trip to face Adelaide.
The new coach stated on his first day in the job that finals are the goal for this season but he's not letting that quest or his team's excellent run of late distract from the weekly focus.
"We just keep trying to perform, make it look like a Giants game and see where it takes us. That'll either take us to finals or not," he added.
The GIANTS will be boosted further this week with the return of Lachie Whitfield from suspension for game 199 of his career.
Kingsley flagged a potential move further up field for Whitfield, Lachie Ash or Isaac Cumming with the GIANTS blessed with a bevy of speedy defenders.
