GIANTS co-captain Callan Ward has written himself into two different record books with a career-best 40 possessions against Port Adelaide at StarTrack Oval in Canberra on Saturday.

It was a record for the GIANTS, surpassing Toby Greene's 38-possession hauls against Melbourne in Canberra in Round 21 last year and against North Melbourne at Spotless Stadium in Round 23, 2012.

And it was the highest possession count by any player in 34 AFL matches in Canberra from 1998-2014, surpassing Shannon Grant’s 39 possessions for North Melbourne against St Kilda in 2001, and Matthew Boyd’s 39 possessions for the Western Bulldogs against the GIANTS in Round 4 this year.

Ward’s career-best effort, accompanied by 15 contested possessions, 10 clearances and eight tackles, was the 12th time he’s topped 30 possessions in 48 games for the GIANTS after he did so just twice in 60 games for the Bulldogs from 2008-11.

It extended his lead to 50 at the top of the all-time GIANTS possession list. He now has 1162 to head Greene (1116) and Adam Treloar (1046) in the 1000 Club.

In other noteworthy statistical oddities to emerge from the GIANTS’ 15.7 (97) to 20.12 (132) loss to Port, Jonathan Giles had a career-best 44 hit-outs. This topped his previous best of 43 against Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium in the last game last year.

It was the fourth-best single-game hit-out count in GIANTS history behind Shane Mumford’s 45, 46 and 60 in his first three games for the club in Rounds 1, 2 and 3.

The GIANTS’ score was their fourth-highest score in a loss and their second-highest score all-time in Canberra.

Jack Hombsch became the second ex-GIANTS player to play against the GIANTS, following on from Dom Tyson after he did likewise for Melbourne in Round 3 this year. Hombsch, who played nine games for the GIANTS in 2012, had 18 possessions in his 21st game overall.