Round 16
Hawthorn v GWS Giants
Friday, 26 June 2026
MCG
On paper everything pregame pointed to a comfortable Hawthorn victory under the Friday night lights at a cold and slippery MCG. The Giants arrived bruised battered and seemingly on the ropes. Their form had deserted them, injuries continue to mount with Jesse Hogan sidelined by a broken finger, contract speculation continues to swirl around captain Toby Greene, Adam Kingsley has cut the figure of an increasingly frustrated coach, and their wildcard hopes hung by the thinnest of threads.
Yet if there’s one thing GWS has consistently shown over the past decade it’s an uncanny ability to produce its best football when everyone has written them off. With nothing to lose and pride on the line, Giant faithful expected the Orange Tsunami to reappear when few expect it.
The opening quarter was a tough willing contest in slippery MCG conditions with both sides struggling at times to transition the ball cleanly as the greasy Sherrin repeatedly refused to cooperate. Hawthorn held a narrow seven-point advantage inspired by the continued brilliance of Will Day whose return from injury is gathering momentum with every disposal.
The first quarter headlined the latest masterpiece of AFL bureaucracy. Giants midfielder Finn Callaghan found himself penalised for allegedly failing to correctly enter the field of play through the interchange gate by what appeared to be mere millimetres prompting yet another reminder that somewhere in AFL House an official is undoubtedly polishing a tape measure. The game’s custodians once again demonstrated that nothing says “growing the spectacle” quite like adjudicating the precise relationship between a player’s boot and a sea of white and orange paint. It was pedantry at its absolute finest and an unnecessary farce in an otherwise entertaining opening term.
The second quarter perfectly encapsulated the Giants’ wretched 2026 season. In the space of three heartbreaking minutes, Brent Daniels limped from the field in tears clutching his calf before young forward Max Gruzewski suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury leaving a devastated Giants bench staring blankly into the abyss. Hawthorn sensed blood piling on goals through the electric Nick Watson whose three-goal burst brought up his career century while Jack Ginnivan added to the carnage as the Hawks seized complete control. The inside-50 count of 38-16 told the story of total dominance with GWS overwhelmed across the ground and trailing by 30 points at the main break. Unless something extraordinary could take place it had all the makings of a very long second half for the injury-ravaged Giants.
But the Giants refused to surrender in a spirited third quarter despite Hawthorn’s imposing tall timber taking control. Mitch Lewis, Mabior Chol and Calsher Dear stretched the GWS defence but the Giants hung in. Adam Kingsley shuffled the magnets in a desperate bid to spark his side throwing Lachie Ash, Harry Stone, Toby Bedford and Callum Brown into the midfield mix.
The response was encouraging.
Brown booted three goals. Aaron Cadman clunked a towering mark and added two majors while Finn Callaghan’s classy late finish kept the Giants within striking distance. Lewis answered with a crucial late goal for Hawthorn, but Toby Greene’s trademark vision set up Cadman’s second to leave the margin at a manageable 21 points at the final change. GWS still had a pulse.
If the casualty lists at Gallipoli were a sobering reminder of the human cost of conflict by the last quarter the Giants’ interchange bench resembled a football casualty ward by the final siren. One by one injured players made their way to the bench with Clayton Oliver’s late departure adding to an already mounting toll. He came back on to kick an important late goal and to their credit fought the match out with courage but like so much of their 2026 campaign they were simply overwhelmed by a combination of injuries and adversity.
With finals now all but beyond reach attention inevitably turns to the off-season. The expansion club faces some difficult decisions on its playing list, contracts and overall direction as it looks to rebuild around its emerging talent and ensure this injury-ravaged campaign becomes an aberration rather than the beginning of a decline.
HAWTHORN
3.5 9.6 13.9 14.12 (96)
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY
2.4 4.6 10.6 12.10 (82)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Watson 3, Lewis 2, Ginnivan 2, Dalton 2, Chol 2, Mackenzie, C Macdonald, Dear
GWS Giants: Brown 3, Greene 2, Cadman 2, Stringer, Oliver, Coniglio, Callaghan, Ash
BEST
Hawthorn: Ginnivan, Newcombe, Mackenzie, Day, Sicily
Greater Western Sydney: Callaghan, Oliver, Whitfield, Greene
INJURIES
Hawthorn: Watson (hamstring tightness)
Greater Western Sydney: Daniels (calf), Gruzewski (knee)
Crowd: 35,238 at the MCG
Malarkey Votes
3 Newcombe
2 Ginnivan
1 Callaghan
Read other round 16 match reports HERE
Read more from Richard Griffiths HERE
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