There were many questions asked in the lead up to the Giants versus Hawks Opening Round clash at Engie Stadium on Saturday afternoon. How would the Giants cover the dearth of injuries sustained to nine players from the previous year’s Elimination final clash? Would the Hawks live up to expectations of being a genuine top four contender in 2026? Could Clayton Oliver produce a stellar performance hot off the heels of his former Demon teammates’ stunning display for the Suns against the Cats the night before. Petracca was superb.
How was the Engie Studium curator going to present the playing surface following the recent Bad Bunny (who of our generation had heard of Bad Bunny before his Superbowl appearance) concert – Engie Stadium is subjected to summer concerts, Big Bash clashes and after Round 3 the Easter Show descends upon the venue. It was patchy and didn’t look that great but thankfully the turf held its own.
It was evident early in the first term the Giants were up for this one – Toby Greene starting in the centre square often sends a message to the opposition. It was a scintillating first quarter of football with 13 scoring shots between the two teams with Giants booting eight majors and the Hawks five.
The AFL are often criticised for “tampering” with the game but for decades have lived by the mantra “if it aint broke fix it anyway.” That philosophy saw some significant changes during the off season, most notably the extermination of the bounce, ruckman required to leap at the ball at centre throw ups (I noted some commentators still referring to it as the centre bounce), strict enforcement of the stand rule (to which Toby fell victim to early in the piece) and the introduction of the last touch rule between the 50 meter arcs.
The result? Football played at a furious pace. And goals, goals, goals! The velocity at which all games over the weekend were played was exhilarating. Three votes G. Swann.
Speaking of furious pace, the attack on the ball and tear away speed of Nick Watson is something to behold. On more than one occasion he showed why the adoring Hawk fans love him. I have maintained that there is only one “Wizard” (of the Farmer variety) however with the honour of now wearing Hawthorn’s famous number five jumper Watson is set to elevate his game to another magical level.
The Giants continued to take the Hawks to the sword by slamming on a further five goals to two during the second quarter to extend the lead at half time to 35 points. Stringer, Hogan and Riccardi were causing headaches for a Hawk defence under siege by the surge running of the Giants half backs and midfield lead by Oliver and Callaghan. Conversely, the Hawthorn forward line was reliant on individual brilliance from Watson and Gunston whilst key forwards Choil and Lewis were virtually unsighted. Marbior Chol is one of the great teasers of the competition – no wonder coach Mitchell was bleeding from the knuckles. Mitch Lewis looked a long way off it.
Off the field and in the stands, we caught a glimpse of Dills and Laura looking very much at ease with themselves -and the game. There was slight murmuring of discontent from the crowd but nothing overtly savage. When Albo flashed onto the screen resplendent in his Hawthorn scarf there was no denying the sentiments of the crowd as they let out a collective boo. The PM chuckled. What else could he do?
Next up we caught a glimpse of what looked to be a frail man wearing a peak cap and sunglasses. At first, I thought it was Kevin Bartlett! What the hell is KB doing at a Giants game at Olympic Park? But wait. It’s Tom Hanks! And that’s the guy from Adolescence – Stephen Graeme. Forrest Gump at the footy! Awesome. Then the goal umpire impersonation. How good! Newcomers to our game are fascinated by our goal umpires and boundary umpires. Tom didn’t quite get it right with the double finger signaling but I reckon David Rodan should latch onto it and make it his own for the remainder of the season. It might earn him a spot in the Grand Final!
Back to the footy. In the third term the Giants remained in control, booting five goals to the Hawks four and extending their lead to 42 points. Coniglio had a profound influence. Cogs is an important cog in the Giants wheel, and the club will be hoping he remains injury free. A nice foil for the loss of Callan Ward. With Weddle and Sicily (ten possessions) lifting and Chol finally exerting some influence, the Hawks looked to be finding some spark.
The Hawks went on and booted the first three goals of the final term, and the game was remarkably still alive at the mid-way point. Gunston had booted four. But when the debutant from Albury Phoenix Gothard snapped a clever goal, Hawthorn’s fate was sealed with the Giants claiming a comfortable 27-point victory.
Many questions were answered at Engie Stadium and more have emerged for both clubs. The Hawks were at full strength minus Will Day, and the coach will demand higher standards from the players he has at his disposal. The Giants have a plethora of stars to return, and its depth of talent is deep – think Angwin, Thomas, Fonti, Rowston, Gothard.
The Giants win sets up a mouthwatering Round 1 match up against archrivals the Western Bulldogs who stunned the Lions on Saturday night. There is genuine hatred between these clubs and Saturday’s clash will no doubt be a spicy encounter.
GWS GIANTS 8.3 13.4 18.6 19.8 (122)
HAWTHORN 5.2 7.5 11.7 14.11 (95)
GOALS
GWS: Stringer 5, Hogan 3, Riccardi 3, Gruzewski 2, Cognilio 2, Brown, Rowston, Oliver, Gothard
Hawthorn: Gunston 4, Butler 2, Chol 2, Ginnivan 2, Watson 2, Meek, Lewis
BEST
GIANTS: Callaghan, Oliver, Stringer, Cognilio, Laverde
Hawthorn: Sicily, Newcombe, Watson, Weddle
INJURIES
GWS: Nil
Hawthorn: Nil
Crowd: 16,157 at Engie Stadium
Read more from Richard Griffiths HERE
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I for one had known of Bad Bunny for some months – if not years – pre-Superbowl 2026.
That Separated at Birth moment – Bartlett and Hanks.
Bartlett often comes into my thoughts specifically when I am waiting for things.
And about the genuine hatred for the Bulldogs on the part of the Giants: this was shown so well in the first episode of Prime’s THE FINAL SIREN especially when they talked about the later rounds of 2025 – Toby Greene and the Bont.
It might be even spicier given the circumstances of the Bulldogs and the Lions result… [5 points!]