The GIANTS were dealt a reality check against the Western Bulldogs on Saturday, according to coach Leon Cameron.
He said the GIANTS prepared for the Bulldogs' pressure but failed to handle it when it arrived and in the end they were lucky to get away with a 44-point loss.
"Their pressure was enormous and we couldn't handle it," Cameron said.
The GIANTS started the contest favourites but conceded seven unanswered goals in the first quarter to be 37 points behind at the first break. They never recovered.
"They tackled hard. They made their tackles stick. We knew it would be hot early and we didn't cope with it," Cameron said.
Cameron said the youth of the team was no excuse as the Bulldogs team was even younger than the GIANTS. They were merely outplayed and their much-touted midfield was beaten.
Cameron admitted that former Bulldogs skipper Ryan Griffen was nervous playing against his old team but said everyone had to accept responsibility for the poor performance.
"I thought our entire midfield really struggled today," Cameron said.
Cameron said although in-form ruckman Shane Mumford was beaten he never conceded and that provided a good lesson for youngsters in the team.
"Credit where credit is due, Will Minson had the better of Shane. Shane is such a competitor. If he is going to go down he'll go down fighting. What our young players have to learn is that when Shane is beaten he can still hold his head high because he still keeps on keeping on," Cameron said.
"Some of our young players have to understand there is a mental barrier you have got to get over when things aren't working. You have to be able to push through and we didn't do that for large parts of the game."
Cameron said the GIANTS were sore but their were no injuries and he expected Nick Haynes, who left the field in the third quarter with what appeared to be a knee problem, to be fine for next week.
The GIANTS play at Spotless Stadium next week against the Brisbane Lions on Sunday at 1:10pm.
