WHEN the story of the first Greater Western Sydney premiership is told, not many matches will be likely to be recounted more fondly, save for the Grand Final itself, than the brave and magnificent win over West Coast on Sunday.

The Giants were missing nine, count 'em, nine, of their best 22 players. None of Stephen Coniglio, Jacob Hopper, Devon Smith, Steve Johnson, Nick Haynes, Matt Buntine, Ryan Griffen and Rory Lobb made the trip to Perth to face the one club they had yet to beat since joining the AFL.

They only had 26 players to choose from and their depth was so strained that when running machine Scully pulled out pre-game with knee soreness, they had to replace him with Tim Mohr, an erstwhile key backman.

You might remember Mohr as a staple of the Giants in their early days who used to watch the ball sail over his head. A lot.

GWS got great service on Sunday from some of its remaining leading lights such as Toby Greene, Callan Ward, Josh Kelly and Shane Mumford, but this win was not possible without some of the second-tier types such as Daniel Lloyd who kicked a huge last-quarter goal, midfielder Matt Kennedy (28 touches), relief big man Harry Himmelberg and first-year utility Tim Taranto.

When the Giants pencil in their best 22 later this year perhaps only Taranto might still be guaranteed a spot, but it takes squads to win premierships and Sunday's effort is proof positive of that. A Giants premiership in 2017 will carry the fingerprints of many.

GWS has had some nice wins in its time and a couple of home ground thrashings of the mighty Hawks remain vivid. But of the 122 games they have played to date, this might have been the best of the lot. The Giants have faced plenty of adversity this year and by rights should be among that large group fighting it out in the middle of the ladder. Instead, they're 8-2 and deservedly a game clear in second on the ladder.

In Sunday morning's News Corp papers, former GWS senior assistant coach Mark Williams wrote of some of the hardships the Giants the faced in their early days and warned of how it only served to galvanise the players who went through it all and are still with the club today. The win over the Eagles only a few hours later provided more evidence that indeed, that they are made of the right stuff.

The Eagles weren't helped by their own pre-game withdrawal, that of the influential Luke Shuey. But there were no real excuses for this loss to a weakened opponent on their home deck where they are usually a five-goal better side. 

And now there is uncertainty over spearhead Josh Kennedy. The Eagles were a bit coy on the prognosis, saying of their dual Coleman medallist he heard a popping sound when he injured his calf. The same sound could be heard on the final siren as the club's 2017 premiership hopes disappeared in a puff of smoke.

$91 million buys you a cauldron

The Cats got what they paid for on Thursday night. A tight, narrow win over Port Adelaide in a game you would think the home ground advantage at Simonds Stadium helped get them over the line. 

Yes, there was also some brilliance from Patrick Dangerfield that helped Geelong finally overcome the plucky Power.

But there is little wonder why the Cats are pushing for up to nine games a year at Simonds plus finals when you consider what a nice cauldron they are establishing down there. They've done it with their own money, together with that of the AFL, some generous benefactors and both the local and state government contributing to the $91 million stage four of the Kardinia Park redevelopment, which opened less than a fortnight ago.

It was bedlam late in the game. No arguments here about the time-wasting call on Charlie Dixon, as long as the 30-second rule is as strictly applied elsewhere. And while we don't believe any of the Cats encroached on the protected zone as Dixon was lining up, they were awfully close.

Hinkley backs umpire's 'play on' call on Dixon

But where the home ground advantage really kicked in was a couple of free kicks not paid to Robbie Gray in the final quarter. The Port small forward was causing Jed Bews all manner of concern and there were instances in the final term when clear free kicks weren’t paid, perhaps in part because there weren’t 25,000 hometown fans screaming in anger. 

Saints coach Alan Richardson referred to this as the "noise of affirmation", not only at Geelong but also in Adelaide and Perth where loud supporters howl for free kicks. But of course, there are swings and roundabouts and there are 11 home games a year where the Port fans can make all the noise they want and maybe, just maybe, get the umpires paying things their way. 

But it would be churlish to say the umpires swung the game Geelong’s way. It was a cracking night of footy from start to finish and even though there was a kick in it at the end, the Cats did seem the slightly better team for most of the night and deserved to win.

And it sets up a cracker of a Friday night when Adelaide comes visiting next week. 

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Touches v influence

The debate over Tom Mitchell’s 50-possession outing for Hawthorn last week was one worth having.

There was the ’50 touches make you automatically best on ground’ camp, while the counter argument was that Scott Pendlebury might have had ‘only’ 36, but he was enormously influential in the second half as Collingwood wrested back control of the match and eventually won the game.

Will there be the same discussion about Jake Stringer this week? He had 15 disposals, equal 16th for the Bulldogs, but he kicked five goals, including four in the first half when the Dogs put their stamp on the game. 

There should be no question that Stringer was the best player on the ground on Saturday against St Kilda. ‘Jakey’ hasn't been his mercurial self for more than a year – he was serviceable rather than a standout performer as the Dogs marched to the flag last season – but what we saw on Saturday, with the speed and the uncanny goal-sense, was the footy that had us all giddy with excitement through 2014 and 2015.

It will be interesting to see whether the coaches award him full points when the votes are revealed late on Monday afternoon. And this is the sort of game we should bookmark come Brownlow Medal night to see whether the umpires reward the ball-winners such as Jason Johannisen and Mitch Wallis, or Stringer, obviously the most influential player on the ground. 

• Around the state leagues: Who starred in your club's twos?

Decision time

We are entering the bye weeks and a rare time for players to pause, reflect and take stock about how they’re going and what comes next. For the 30-somethings on one-year contracts, the discussions about next season start to take shape.

St Kilda’s Leigh Montagna has already declared his intention, telling Fox Footy on Sunday morning that he is keen to play on again. They’re a touch brittle, the Saints, and they still need their experienced bodies going around, so re-signing Montagna appears a no-brainer, provided he gets through the rest of the season. 

Some interesting discussions loom at Hawthorn. The win over the Swans on Friday night was highlighted by excellent contributions from their three 30-plus veterans, whose playing futures have already been the cause of plenty of discussion. 

Lance Franklin might have kicked five goals – he was in a mood to kick double that – but Josh Gibson defended him well. You suspect Gibson asked for the assignment on his great mate and he delivered. 

Luke Hodge marshalled and corralled. It was tough and tight and played with an edge and Hodge was in his element and if every game was like that he could play another five years. Truth be told, he has been in reasonable form all year. 

But the standout was Shaun Burgoyne. It was the third straight Swans-Hawks game where he has kicked clutch goals to help his team win and at 34, he keeps delivering when the Hawks need him. 

The likelihood is that Gibson and Hodge won’t play past this year. But Burgoyne is so smart and so professional that he has another season in him if that's what he wishes. 

• Fantasy form watch: Get ready for the bye weeks

Other observations 

  1. All we ask from umpires is that they use commonsense. The free kick against Jayden Short for the deliberate rushed behind on Saturday night displayed anything but. If Josh Green was slowing down in his pursuit of Short then Short wasn't to know and if the Tiger man was to gather the ball, there was every chance he would have been pinged for holding the ball. The forthcoming AFL explanation will likely say that it was the correct call the way the way the Laws of the Game are written. But as far as the spirit of the game and how it is played at the elite level, it was a poor call.
  2. Another Richmond collapse would have made for great TV on Saturday night and those of us barracking for the story night have wished it so. But this was a mature effort from the Tigers, particularly given Essendon’s flying start and the surprise was that it took them so long to seal the deal. From halfway through the first term, the Tigers looked the better team. 
  1. The four-day mandatory break period for players during their bye period was a hard-fought and warranted concession won by the players during the last Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations. But with that comes the expectation by the club that the players use that time to keep themselves in the best condition to return to training and then to games. So, we’re not sure it was the best call by Gary Ablett to remain behind in China for four days while nursing a shoulder injury that eventually kept him out of the game against Melbourne on Saturday. It was another nail in the coffin for his time with the club. 
  1. Fremantle is a game clear in the eight with a percentage of 81.5. Yet another sign that season 2017 is shaping up very differently to any season in recent memory. Huge game against Collingwood at Domain Stadium next Sunday. The Pies might be flaky, but they’ve won two in a row and they travel well. 
  1. Take a bow, footy. The weekend just gone was sensational as all parts of the game came together to celebrate Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round. The highpoint was the Dreamtime at the 'G game, which attracted 85,656, the largest crowd ever for a Saturday night home and away game at the MCG. But every game was marked by pomp, ceremony and rituals, such as the swapping of jumpers after the game, a tradition we thought had died on Grand Final day in the late 1970s. What the AFL did for the awareness of Anzac Day it is now doing for indigenous recognition and reconciliation and while the game and the nation still have so much to do, we have at least started down the path.