AFTER five years in the competition, the AFL's 18th club was about to make its finals debut.
Greater Western Sydney had steadily improved over its short existence, winning a total of just three games in its first two seasons, but building to six victories in 2014 and 11 in 2015.
By the time 2016 rolled around the Giants' initial draftees were maturing and their older recruits were in their prime.
Finishing a tight home and away season in fourth position, it was fitting the first final in club history would be against the cross-town rival Swans who had wrapped up the minor premiership with a 113-point drubbing of Richmond.
John Longmire's men were proven in September and hungry to knock over the upstart Giants and surge towards another Grand Final.
The stage was set for a gripping contest.
Where and when
This qualifying final was too big for Sydney's traditional home at the SCG. The decision was made to move it to the wider expanses of ANZ Stadium in Homebush, and despite the skepticism of many, the fans flocked, with a crowd of 60,222 showing footy was strong in the Harbour City.
The Giants and Swans eye eachother off before the game. All pictures: AFL Photos
The moment
The Giants were hell-bent on not taking a backward step to their big brother and veteran Steve Johnson took that mantra right to the edge. At a forward 50 stoppage midway through the first term, 'Stevie J' ironed out Swans skipper Josh Kennedy with a high bump that would later see him suspended for a week. Kennedy was taken off for a concussion test and returned in the second quarter, but the Giants' intentions were clear. Shane Mumford's roughhouse sling tackle that buried Kurt Tippett later in the first half was another display of the GWS intent.
Kennedy exited the 2016 qualifying final for a concussion test after being crunched by Johnson (right).
Johnson's hit set the tone for a brutal final between cross-town rivals.
The hero
With the game in the balance early in the third quarter, Giants forward Jeremy Cameron simply took over. The All Australian left-footer kicked three goals in the space of five minutes and blew the game open. His first came from a beautifully weighted Toby Greene pass on his left foot, his second after intercepting a poor Ben McGlynn cross-field kick, and his third from a barreling tackle and holding-the-ball decision against Dane Rampe. The Giants never looked back and would go on to win comfortably by 36 points.
'Jezza' blew the game apart.
The stat that stood out
Sydney had rightfully earned a reputation as September specialists, a club of the toughest stuff, but it was the Giants that brought the force. With both teams getting an even share of possession, the Giants worked themselves to a standstill, winning the tackle count 96-64. Dylan Shiel and Devon Smith (10) and Ryan Griffen and Stephen Coniglio (nine) led the charge. They outworked the 'Bloods' and deserved to win.
Smith was a tackling machine during the qualifying final.
What they said
Swans coach John Longmire
"They out-tackled us. The tackles we did lay weren't effective enough and they were able to run. They're not only a talented team, they're a hard team and they play fiercely."
Giants coach Leon Cameron
"I thought the best part about our game was that we tackled really well, and that’s the thing that was probably a question mark over us coming in. We thought there’s only one way (to approach it) and that’s to hit it head on, so that was the real pleasing thing."
Cameron in the rooms following the win.
Key players
While Jeremy Cameron stole the headlines, it was the relentless running of the young Giants midfield that won the day. Lachie Whitfield (27 touches), Coniglio (26), Josh Kelly (24) and Tom Scully (20) outworked and outran their more fancied rivals.
Whitfield was immense.
Why the rivalry matters
The clubs are cross-town rivals, but the feeling goes well beyond geography. What started as a nice big brother-little brother competition really intensified when the Swans signed Lance Franklin. The Giants thought they were in pole position to grab the Hawks superstar at the end of 2013, but a stealth Sydney swooped in and got its man. Shane Mumford was squeezed out of the Swans and headed west, and as the Giants steadily improved, the on-field animosity between the clubs was a real thing. This final took it to another level.
The Swans swooped on 'Buddy'.
The easily forgotten fact
Although the Swans were overrun in the second half, their cause was not helped by a hamstring injury to Callum Mills just before the main break. Mills had won the NAB AFL Rising Star award earlier that week and had quickly established himself as a backline general in his first season. He was sorely missed in the second half.
Mills was a huge loss for the Swans.
What happened next
While GWS won the fight, they didn't win the war. Sydney bounced back with wins over Adelaide and Geelong to advance to the Grand Final while the Giants lost a heartbreaking preliminary final to the Western Bulldogs. Johnson's suspension for his hit on Kennedy is one of the great "what ifs" in Giants history. One piece of Stevie J magic against the Dogs might have been enough to put them into a decider against the Swans.
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