GWS Giants send a message: they are capable of a deep finals run

The GWS Giants have saved their best for the best. After a dominant victory over Geelong at Manuka Oval on Sunday, the Giants sent a clear signal to the AFL competition: they are ready for a deep finals run.

The win, built on a suffocating defensive effort and precise ball use, lifts GWS into the top four with just four rounds remaining in the home-and-away season. The Cats, a perennial contender, were kept goalless for two quarters-a feat that underscores the Giants’ growing premiership credentials.

What the win means for Cairns footy fans

For Cairns-based AFL supporters, the Giants’ resurgence is more than just a Sydney story. GWS has invested heavily in North Queensland development pathways, and their Cairns academy zone has produced several players who have trained at the club’s western Sydney headquarters. Locals at the Port Douglas AFL club and the Cairns Saints have been tracking this team all season.

The Giants’ ability to match it with the best is a talking point at the Edge Hill Tavern on Monday nights, where the GWS supporters’ group meets. It’s the same venue where fans watched the 2019 preliminary final heartbreak and the 2023 elimination final win. This year feels different, they say.

The numbers that back the belief

While no single statistic captured the performance, qualitative evidence was everywhere: the Giants won the contested possession count by 18, laid 16 more tackles than their opponents, and had 21 individual goalkickers across the day. That even spread of contributors is the hallmark of a side that doesn’t rely on a single star.

Coach Adam Kingsley-in his second season at the helm-has built a system that thrives in high-pressure finals-style matches. The Giants have now beaten four of the current top six sides this year, a record that suggests they can beat anyone on their day.

The club’s injury list has also shortened, with key defender Sam Taylor and midfield bull Tom Green back to full fitness. Their availability could be decisive when the finals race heats up in September.

Next up for GWS is a trip to the Gabba to face the Brisbane Lions-another top-four side-in what looms as a litmus test of their away form. The Lions have won nine straight at home, so the Giants will need to bring the same intensity they showed against Geelong.

For Cairns fans planning a trip south for finals, now is the time to start looking at flights. The Giants could be playing well into October, and a preliminary final at the Sydney Showground Stadium-with its intimate 24,000-seat atmosphere-would be a fitting stage for a team that has learned to win when it matters most.