Always the flag contender, never the flag winner, Greater Western Sydney are “desperate” to make the most of their seventh finals appearance, says coach Adam Kingsley.
Falling short in an 89-point drubbing by Richmond in 2019, the Giants have another chance to grab their first premiership but must first knock over Craig McRae’s formidable Collingwood on Friday night.
Surpassing expectations is no longer enough for the Giants, with veterans Toby Greene, Stephen Coniglio and Josh Kelly rallying their side to take advantage of their momentum.
“It's been a strong message but more so from Toby and his leadership group rather than me,” Kingsley said on Thursday.
“They are fully aware they've been in this position before a couple of times and haven't quite maximised it in the past.
“So they're desperate to do something about it and maximise the opportunity that we have right now.
“Their preparation would suggest that. They're obviously extremely keen to do that. It's great to still be alive and a part of it this year.”
With ruckman Kieren Briggs cleared after sustaining a shoulder injury against Port Adelaide last week, Kingsley will boast a full-strength midfield to take on the likes of Magpies stars Josh Daicos, Steele Sidebottom and Jack Crisp.
One of the last four finals teams, it’s no secret the Giants midfield has thrived despite losing the talent and experience of Tim Taranto and Jacob Hooper to Richmond in the offseason.
Taranto was especially prolific in their 2019 finals run, collecting 56 disposals and 13 clearances across their last two finals clash.
“We lost those players but I always had confidence in the guys that we still had here were high quality, good enough - changed the way that they played slightly,” Kingsley said.
“It was always going to be challenging in the early part of the season, but they've adapted really well.
“We have a lot of guys who can take on the load and the responsibility of being, if you want to call it, the match-winner.”
Kelly was the "match-winner" that took it to St Kilda in their first week of finals, kicking two majors and racking up 27 disposals and seven clearances to match.
And in the week after against Port it was Coniglio’s turn to dominate, with the former skipper registering 30 disposals, seven clearances and two goals to his name.
“It's gonna be an arm wrestle all game, I would suspect and we've got to be the harder team for longer and Colingwood have shown that they're extremely good at that,” Kingsley said.
“We're really confident, understanding that their midfield is very similar to ours too.
“As I've said in the past the battles in finals are typically won through the midfield.
“We were able to get that done last week against a really strong Port Adelaide midfield, hopefully we can do it again tomorrow.”
