MATCHING Hawthorn's hardness around the ball is the key to Greater Western Sydney's chances of toppling the three-time reigning premiers for the second straight year, according to midfielder Tom Scully.
The Giants beat the Hawks by 10 points at Spotless Stadium in round six last season on the back of a seven-goal haul from Jeremy Cameron, but Scully believes that result means little when the two teams meet at the same venue on Saturday afternoon.
GWS returns to its home ground for the first time this season on the back of two big wins over Port Adelaide and St Kilda, two quality four-quarter performances that were built on placing immense pressure on the opposition.
Scully told AFL.com.au that his side has gradually gained momentum after a disappointing round one loss to Melbourne, and they'll need to make sure there's plenty of heat around the footy when the Hawks come to town.
"I think Hawthorn are probably the number one pressure side in the competition, they just do everything so well so it's going to be a good gauge for us to see how we're tracking," he said.
"I think that's something that's been a little bit inconsistent at times for us.
"When our pressure is good we know we can match it with most sides but when it drops away we fall back to the pack a bit.
"We know we're going to have to bring that pressure and it's going to have to be at a premium on the weekend."
Scully is in brilliant form this year averaging 28 possessions from his five appearances so far, well up on his previous best of 21.5 in 2010, his debut season in the competition.
One of the most selfless players in the League, not surprisingly the speedy winger preferred to credit his teammates for his outstanding form in 2016, saying the Giants' inside midfielders have made his job on the wing a simple one.
Coach Leon Cameron targeted contested footy as an area his side needed to make serious improvement in 2016, and his players have responded.
The Giants average 143.6 contested possessions per game this season – up from 127.7 last year – and in their three wins, they have gotten the better of Geelong (148-126), Port Adelaide (131-116) and St Kilda (153-129).
Scully said getting first hands on the footy at stoppages and clearances has helped GWS immensely.
"The boys inside are really winning the ball or halving contests, which is something we aim to do," Scully said.
"That certainly helps our running game as well, we're linking up a lot better and our transition and ball movement has been pretty good.
"That's something we're always working on but we know there's a number of areas we need to improve on and we're continually trying to work on them."
The Giants' best runner isn't sure who will stand next to him on the edge of the centre square on Saturday, with Hawthorn's side stacked full of options.
Be it the height of Isaac Smith, the speed of Bradley Hill or Billy Hartung, or the experience of Jordan Lewis, the consistent Giant knows he's in for a tough afternoon.
"I think one of Hawthorn's greatest strengths is their flexibility, they can roll a number of players through a number of positions," Scully said.
"You might be starting on one particular player but two minutes later you're on a completely different player, it's so unpredictable these days.
"You've got to be able to play on talls, smalls or whoever, teams change it up so much.
"You look all across their team and they've got experience everywhere and such great players.
"We certainly look forward to challenging ourselves against the best and there's no greater test than the Hawks, they've been the best side for the last five years."
