GREATER Western Sydney needs to eradicate its "disappointing" work in the contest as the pressure builds on it to register its first win of the season against Richmond in Blacktown on Saturday.
The Giants' start to the season has been below expectations to date, with a four-goal lead coughed up late in the round one loss to Sydney to go with the 77-point hammering they suffered at the hands of reigning premier Melbourne in Canberra on Sunday.
A first New South Wales-based home game for the season on Saturday against the Tigers, who have a win and loss to start their season, presents Cam Bernasconi's side with a chance to register a first victory and it has targeted a key area of improvement.
"In our last quarter (against Melbourne) we were really disappointing and essentially, we got smashed in contested footy. That was the key thing in our wash-up. We need to compete better and have more method around our contest," the Giants coach said.
"You can't go -28 contested footy at this level."
The response in that area from GWS will be analysed closely against Richmond and while it is not dwelling on its slow start to the season, the Giants need to alter things quickly.
"It's high-performance sport. There's always pressure and it's how you step forward and deal with that. The worst thing you can do is linger on what should or could have been over the last two weeks," Bernasconi said.
"It's not the ideal start to the season. We'd love to have had a win by now but the belief in the group is still very much there. They can see that when we play our way, we can match it with the best.
"We've got a 24-hour rule where if you have a good win, you don't over-celebrate it, if you have a bad loss you don't linger on it for more than 24 hours. The girls have come into the club with a positive mindset and a mindset to learn and get better.
"I'm really excited we get the chance to bounce back in the next couple of days."
A positive to stem out of the heavy loss to the Demons was the Rising Star nomination for teenager Zarlie Goldsworthy, who compiled 18 disposals, six tackles and four marks.
"We were rapt that Zarlie got that recognition during the week. She's a great kid. She's only 18 years old and last year she was only a part-time AFLW player completing her schooling out of Albury and she was an important player for us last year," Bernasconi said.
"She's just a competitor and that's why we love her. She's hungry to learn and get better and hungry to win."
