(7) Lachie Ash: A solid contributor who gave the Giants drive at key moments. He was behind the Giants’ star trio of Finn Callaghan, Tom Green and Whitfield for possessions most of the way, and wasn’t that far behind them by the end. 6.5/10
(9) Ryan Angwin: Battled hard and took five marks to go with his 18 disposals. 5.5/10
(12) Tom Green: An archetypal game from the bullocking Giants midfielder. It was between him and Hawk Jai Newcombe for the “clearance king” label. Green had 22 touches by half-time, shaded by Callaghan to be the best Giant at that point. He gave good support to an electrifying Jake Kelly in the third term. 7.5/10
(14) Toby Bedford: To his credit, the small forward had a crack and booted two goals to go with 13 possessions. Two moments in the first term showed his approach. Firstly, he applied a ferocious tackle midway through the term and, secondly, on the cusp of quarter-time, he showed his zip and kicked a lovely check-side goal. Bedford’s second major came during the Giants’ third-term burst and slashed the deficit to 18 points. 6.5/10
Toby Bedford celebrates one of his two goals against the Hawks.Credit: AFL Photos
(15) Sam Taylor: Didn’t have his normal influence as a major stopping block in the GWS defence. He spent time on Mabior Chol, who proved to be one of Hawthorn’s sparks at key moments. Taylor didn’t have his All-Australian form on show. 5/10
(17) Finn Callaghan: A quality contributor across the game but, like a few teammates, struggled for the same influence when the match was up for grabs. Was definitely the best Giant in the first half. Kicked an eye-catching goal in the first term and had eight tackles to go with 34 possessions. 7.5/10
(20) Jake Stringer: Quite frustrating, really. The Giants didn’t function with the structure they went with to start the game and Stringer was one of the culprits. He did, however, light up the game a few times in the third term as the Giants came from the clouds, and there was that excellent goal assist to Toby Bedford, too. 5/10
Jake Stringer tries to break a Jarman Impey tackle.Credit: Getty Images
(21) Leek Aleer: A solid player down back with 10 touches from 70 per cent game time. 5.5/10
(23) Jesse Hogan: Like some of his forward line hombres, Hogan was a frustrating player. He barely had a touch by half-time when the Giants were crying out for heroes. But then he was an important part of the Orange Tsunami and booted the first goal of the final quarter – GWS’ seventh in a row – that levelled the scores and raised hopes of a miraculous win. 5.5/10
(26) Jake Riccardi: Played his role and finished with 15 possessions. Had a great moment in the first quarter when he marked, copped a knee in the back, and went on to slot a goal. At a time when the Giants were desperate for majors, it was timely. 6/10
(27) Harry Himmelberg: Struggled for impact. He was very lucky not to have a holding-the-ball decision paid against him deep in defence in the first quarter. Interestingly, Tom Green had strong words with him immediately after. 4.5/10
(32) Kieren Briggs: Had a great battle in the ruck against Lloyd Meek and he probably just beat the big Hawk. He can look back at one highlight in the second term when his fluky kick across the ground resulted in a goal. 6.5/10
Lloyd Meek and Kieren Briggs went head-to-head in the ruck.Credit: AFL Photos
(33) Xavier O’Halloran: Booted a massive, team-lifting goal in the third quarter as the Giants stormed back. It was their sixth in a row and came after 35 minutes. He had 17 touches and wasn’t one of the Giants’ main culprits. 6/10
(37) Joe Fonti: Showed more than a glimpse of impressive composure deep in defence. Gave away a free in the first term that resulted in a Calsher Dear goal. Again, not a big culprit. 6/10
(39) Connor Idun: Had very little impact and spent nearly 90 per cent of the game on the field. 4.5/10
(46) Callum Brown: Gave away a very costly free in the first quarter when his elbow hit James Worpel in the chest. He had 11 possessions. 5.5/10
Sub – (22) Josh Kelly: Well, well, where do you begin? The ultimate Super Sub. GWS coach Adam Kingsley wasn’t sure pre-match how much time they’d get from Kelly in his return from injury. Their hand was somewhat forced when Darcy Jones went down with injury. Thus Kelly came on before half-time. His third quarter was ridiculously good but the Hawks nullified his impact after the final break. Kicked two goals. 7/10
HAWTHORN
(3) Jai Newcombe: Raising the bat in his 100th game, the robust midfielder was the highest-ranked player on field. In a superb start, he had nine disposals at 100 per cent efficiency, including six score involvements, in the first term. He then had a whopping 11 in the second, overall having nine clearances and nine score involvements to half-time, prompting AFL great and Fox Footy commentator Garry Lyon to describe Newcombe as “playing a final for the ages”. He was curtailed in the third, but finished with 32 disposals, including 12 clearances. “He is a real tone setter for us,” skipper James Sicily said. 9/10
(4) Jarman Impey: The dynamic half-back was brilliant in the first term when the Hawks were under pressure then launched their counter punch. Had a whopping 285m gained in the first term alone providing run and carry. Toby Bedford was sent to him after the main break, but it did not matter, Impey finishing with 28 touches and a stunning 964 metres gained. 8.5/10
(5) James Worpel: Was typically busy in and under, and played a key role in strangling the Giants in the first term with 260m gained. Continued to be at the coalface, finishing with 20 disposals, including nine clearances. 7.5/10
(6) James Sicily: The much-respected skipper was steady without having a major impact in defence before half-time. He had nine disposals and two marks to the main break, but was brilliant in the final term with his clean hands and calmness amid the chaos of the Giants’ desperate bid to stay alive. “We were up against it … I thought our backline group held up, it was a gutsy win,” Sicily said. 8.5/10
James Sicily delivers his pre-game address.Credit: AFL Photos
(10) Karl Amon: Was a smoother mover through the midfield, boasting 447m gained to half-time. Finished with 23 touches and 721m gained. Produced the tackle of the day in the third term when he denied Jesse Hogan a major from the goal square. 7.5/10
(11) Conor Nash: The tall Irishman played his role at stoppage and through the midfield, having 13 touches, including three clearances, to half-time. A crucial linkman, he finished with 24 disposals, including 16 handballs. 7/10
(13) Dylan Moore: The ground-level warrior pushed up the field, but didn’t have a major influence. A handball mix-up led to the Giants’ first goal, and he struggled to get going statistically from there, although his defensive work was strong. Missed a set shot from 40m in the final term. 6.5/10
(14) Jack Scrimshaw: Was given the job on Jake Riccardi and had the better of the dangerous forward, restricting him to only one goal. In the frantic final quarter, he stood tall, including a key mark on the edge of the goal square with just over two minutes remaining. 7.5/10
(15) Blake Hardwick: Wow. What a day. The Hawks’ Mr Fix It was handed the monumental task on Toby Greene. Greene was, according to AFL great Garry Lyon, “no good”, in the first half. And his struggles continued after the main break. Hardwick remains an under-appreciated star, and his calm heroics in the final term reinforced why he is loved by Hawks’ fans. 8.5/10
Josh Battle, Dylan Moore, Blake Hardwick, Sam Mitchell, Jarman Impey and Massimo D’Ambrosio belt out the song after eliminating the Giants on enemy soil.Credit: Getty Images
(16) Massimo D’Ambrosio: The former Bomber was a hard-running wingman, and used his powerful left-foot to good use. Pushed into defence when needed to help contain the Giants’ potent forward line. 7/10
(17) Lloyd Meek: This was a tough one to judge. The frontline ruckman all but broke even with Kieren Briggs in tapouts, but probably would have liked more influence across the field. Briggs took charge in the third and final terms when the Giants rallied, but Meek responded late. 7/10
(18) Mabior Chol: The athletic forward produced his best football in the first half when sent into the ruck, energising the midfield. He was sent forward with the contest on the line, and sealed the deal with a right-foot snap in the final minute. 7/10
(19) Jack Gunston: The All Australian had been in stunning form over the final six rounds of the season, and was again that at Engie Stadium. Joined in the goal rush in the first term, and had another in the second, prompting delightful clapping from Prime Minister (and Hawks supporter) Anthony Albanese. “He is very clever,” Hawks great Dermott Brereton said. 7/10
(23) Josh Weddle: Having confirmed his fitness in the VFL last week, Weddle was sent to a wing on the smaller Harvey Thomas. The Hawks looked to utilise his size advantage. He was later shifted forward and was arguably the Hawks most dangerous forward in the final term, although he could not convert. 7/10
(24) Josh Battle: The first-time All-Australian conceded an early free kick to Aaron Cadman, but was back to his diligent best from there. Cadman was goalless, while Battle – another Hawk with a calm demeanour – had 19 touches. 7.5/10
(25) Josh Ward: The erstwhile midfielder was typically steady, with 10 touches and 202m gained to half-time. Finished with 19 disposals, including five clearances. 7/10
(30) Sam Butler: Recalled for this clash, Butler had barely been seen until he stepped up with just over seven minutes remaining, a joint tackle with Jack Gunston on Harry Himmelberg resulting in Butler converting from about 30 metres out. 6.5/10
(31) Connor Macdonald: The high half-forward had managed just one goal over the past month, but had three on the board by half-time, capitalising on every opportunity. Helped to build early momentum by delivering the Hawks’ second goal, and had his second not long after as the Hawks dominated centre bounce. 7/10
(33) Jack Ginnivan: Has been brilliant as a midfield link man recently, finishing with 17 touches, including three goals. Ensured rebounding defender Lachie Ash was accountable, and snapped a crucial goal into the breeze – complete with a ‘hungry for more’ celebration – as the Giants rallied in the second term. Ever the protagonist, he later got stuck into Aaron Cadman for a poor decision in front of goal, then followed up with two goals of his own. Wow. 8/10
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(34) Nick Watson: The man known as the wizard conjured a left-foot snap from the boundary to boot the Hawks’ third goal in a stunning first-term run. Was quiet from that point, until a vital centre-square extraction led to a Chol goal with just over seven minutes remaining, extending the Hawks’ lead to 13 points. 6.5/10
(35) Calsher Dear: Subbed off after half-time. Almost hauled in a huge mark in the first term, but won a free kick, and converted. Had only five touches when he was removed from the game, the Hawks opting for Jiath’s speed. 4/10
(37) Tom Barrass: The former Eagle had the job on Jesse Hogan, who was out of sorts early, but finished with three goals. Also spent time on Jake Stringer. Was full of confidence and flew for everything, but also had the nous to drop deep into defence and intercept when required. 7/10
Sub – (9) Changkuoth Jiath: The dashing half-back was injected into the contest in the third term when Calsher Dear was subbed off. Provided his usual dash and creativity, but held his breath when caught holding the ball in the shadows of the final siren, Jake Riccardi hitting the post with the subsequent shot for goal. 7/10
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