The Greater Western Sydney GIANTS came up against an impressive Carlton unit at Manuka Oval today, eventually going down by 157 points.
The signs were positive early with local ACT player Marcus Crook putting the GIANTS in front with the first goal of the match, but the attack from the Blues proved too strong for the young GIANTS.
In a testing encounter, the resilience and fitness of the boys was pushed to the limit.
The GIANTS were able produce some patches of strong attack with Jeremy Cameron and Isiah Stevens kicking successive goals in the second term and Simon Tunbridge securing the GIANTS only goal for the second half.
Through the middle the GIANTS fought hard to curb the influence of the classy Carlton onballers.
Shiel, who captained the side for the first time, spent most of the game on Carlton’s Chris Judd. In a huge challenge for the 17 year old, Shiel showed poise and leadership on the field.
Head coach Kevin Sheedy took a number of positives from today’s match, focusing on the experienced gained by his developing young list.
“We kicked more goals than we did against the Sydney Swans. That’s the first improvement. It was great to kick the first goal, unfortunately it took a while to kick the next three, but there were some good signs of play around these goals.
“At the end of the day we work with the boys to take out what they need from the game and the rest just throw it in the bin.”
Sheedy explained that he was pleased with the determination of his players and understood the natural fatigue issues his side faced.
“We needed to see them gather confidence in their own game by setting targets with them along the way. They get to approach the game it in steps. These are the sorts of things we will look at as coaches.
“The energy systems of a 17 or 18 year old are a hell of a lot different than the fully fledged AFL players. The boys did well.
Sheedy explained that each game – regardless of the score line provided new exciting learning opportunities for his GIANTS as they come up against a number of AFL Clubs.
“At the end of this six weeks we will be the most experienced young teams in the nation. And that what happens by putting them up against the best players in the game.”
“These guys are just coming out of junior ranked football. The experience they are going to gain on this journey is going to be invaluable.
“These boys are far better off playing these games than not. Those benefits will really start to come out in the games in the NEAFL later this year.
Sheedy was already looking towards the next opportunity ahead of the GIANTS when they take on North Melbourne at Lavington Sports ground on Saturday March 5 at 7pm.
“We’ve still got a lot to learn, and we know that. We’re off to play the Kangaroos next week in Albury, which will be another great challenge for the boys. They’ll be pumped and ready for that game as well.”
Greater Western Sydney 1.0 3.1 4.1 4.2 (26) ?
Carlton 5.3 16.6 26.7 29.9 (183)??
GOALS
?GWS: Crook, Cameron, Stevens, Tunbridge.??BEST?Carlton: Murphy, Yarran, Betts, Scotland, Collins, Warnock, Laidler, Thornton, Tuohy?GWS: Shiel, Hampton, Clifton, Giles, Crook
Carlton: Betts 6, Thornton 5, Warnock 4, Yarran 2, Judd 2, Kerr 2, Scotland, Murphy, Casboult, Carter, Laidler, Gibbs, Duigan, Armfield
??Injuries - Nil
Crowd: 5991 at Manuka Oval, Canberra
