GREATER Western Sydney's scoring potency is one of the major reasons behind its four-game losing streak, but the lack of defensive effort from its forwards this year is even more alarming.
To put it simply, the Giants can't score, and their forwards don't want to put in the work to create scoring opportunities.
One of the League's pre-season premiership fancies, the Giants haven't kicked 100 points or more since their round one win over the Western Bulldogs, or even hit the 80-point mark since they beat Fremantle three weeks later, with both games at UNSW Canberra Oval.
Jeremy Cameron (23) is the team's only goalkicker to hit double figures in 2018.
But while hitting the scoreboard has been a worrying issue for the Giants, more concerning is the pressure they place on the opposition to keep the footy inside their own scoring zone.
According to stats provided to AFL.com.au by Champion Data, Leon Cameron's men are ranked 17th in the League for forward 50 pressure, and 15th for forward 50 tackles.
If the GWS forwards don't get it delivered on a platter, chances are the opposition is shipping it back up the other end with ease.
Mature-age recruit Zac Langdon is ranked third in the AFL for forward 50 pressure acts (18.4 per game) and fourth for forward 50 tackles (2.1).
Those figures in both categories are more than double that of his nearest teammate, and in most cases, the gap is even wider.
He's the only Giant to have consistently showed the kind of work ethic that Cameron would not only ask for but expect from his forwards, and of those with five or more appearances this season, the small forward is the only GWS player to sit inside the top 100 of the competition in both categories.
There's little doubt the West Australian is desperate to make his mark after being overlooked at multiple drafts, and the Giants' recruiters deserve praise for targeting Langdon to bolster one of their areas of concern.
But the fact that a first-year player is the one showing the way for his higher-profile teammates is damning for the Giants.
The numbers below are enough to give the coach nightmares, and if Cameron can't get a concerted lift in effort from the rest of his forwards in Sunday's tough road trip in Adelaide, the Giants' season might be done.
TACKLING WOES
| PLAYER | 2018 GAMES | AVERAGE TACKLES PER GAME | COMPETITION RANK |
| Zac Langdon | Seven | 2.1 | 4th |
| Dylan Buckley | Two | 1.0 | 65th (equal) |
| Daniel Lloyd | 10 | 0.8 | 116th (equal) |
| Matt de Boer | Eight | 0.8 | 116th (equal) |
| Harry Himmelberg | 10 | 0.5 | 212th (equal) |
| Jon Patton | Eight | 0.5 | 212th (equal) |
| Ryan Griffen | Seven | 0.4 | 246th (equal) |
| Jeremy Cameron | Nine | 0.3 | 283rd (equal) |
| Toby Greene | Three | 0.0 | - |
UNDER PRESSURE
| PLAYER | 2018 GAMES | AVERAGE PRESSURE ACTS PER GAME | COMPETITION RANK |
| Zac Langdon | Seven | 18.4 | 3rd (equal) |
| Dylan Buckley | Two | 9.7 | 89th (equal) |
| Daniel Lloyd | 10 | 8.4 | 140th (equal) |
| Matt de Boer | Eight | 7.7 | 166th (equal) |
| Harry Himmelberg | 10 | 7.2 | 189th (equal) |
| Jon Patton | Eight | 6.5 | 215th (equal) |
| Ryan Griffen | Seven | 5.0 | 280th (equal) |
| Jeremy Cameron | Nine | 3.9 | 324th (equal) |
| Toby Greene | Three | 3.2 | 349th (equal) |
