GWS Giants Send Canberra a Finals Message

The GWS Giants made their loudest statement yet this AFL season on Sunday, dismantling Geelong by 28 points at Manuka Oval in front of 14,200 fans.

Statement Win at Manuka

The Giants kicked seven goals to two in the opening term and never let the Cats back in it. Toby Greene finished with three majors and 24 disposals, while Stephen Coniglio gathered 29 touches in the midfield. The win lifts GWS to 11-4, equal on wins with the top-four sides and sitting fifth on percentage.

This matters because Canberra is home to the Giants’ second-tier side and has been a regular host of AFL matches since 2012. Sunday’s performance was the kind of complete four-quarter effort that coach Adam Kingsley has been chasing since taking over at the end of 2022.

“We came to play,” Greene told Channel Seven post-match. “We know what’s on the line every week, and this group isn’t scared of the big moments.”

The Giants have now beaten Port Adelaide, Brisbane and Geelong this year, three of the four teams above them on the ladder. Their only loss to a top-eight side came against Sydney in round seven.

What This Means for September

Since the 2024 finals series, when GWS fell a kick short of the grand final, the Giants have quietly built a list that blends speed with inside grunt. Sunday’s win was the first time this season they’ve held an opponent to under 10 goals at Manuka, and the Cats managed just 8.9 (57).

The Giants travel to Adelaide next Saturday to face the Crows, then return to Manuka on August 2 to host Collingwood in what could be a preview of a qualifying final. If they hold their current top-four form, Canberra could see a finals match for the first time since 2023, when the Giants hosted the Western Bulldogs at Manuka in a elimination final.

Manuka Oval has hosted 17 AFL matches since 2012, with the Giants winning 11 of them. The venue’s capacity of about 16,000 makes it one of the smallest AFL grounds, but the atmosphere is consistently rated among the best by players.

“It’s a fortress for us,” Coniglio said. “The crowd lifts us every time we run out there.”

The Giants’ next three games are against sides outside the current top eight. Kingsley said post-match that the group is “nowhere near done yet” and that the best is still ahead. For Canberra sports fans who have watched the Giants build from a development club to a genuine contender, that sounds like a promise worth keeping an eye on.