GREATER Western Sydney coach Leon Cameron has lashed his players for their performance against Geelong on Friday night, saying his team could not continue to serve up "basic fundamental tripe" if it wanted to compete with the League's top teams.
The Cats demolished the Giants at GMHBA Stadium, holding them to their second-lowest ever score in the AFL competition as they booted a paltry 4.8 (32).
Cameron, who called on forward/ruckman Jonathon Patton to lift his output, said the Giants were well-below the benchmark teams in the competition.
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The Giants coach lamented his team's inability to hit basic targets, with GWS operating at 45 per cent kicking efficiency on the night.
"We're not up to A-grade standard, to be totally honest," Cameron said.
"It's an A-grade game against Geelong, they're an A-grade team and to play them down here clearly in terms of basic fundamentals of the game we're not up to that standard.
"Our tackle pressure was good, the clearance work was even but when you kick at 45 per cent and handball at 67 per cent that's great pressure from them, but when you do that over and over again for 120 minutes that's not up to standard and we fell really short in an A-grade game again."
Cameron said performances like what his side dished up on Friday night would not cut it in the AFL.
"We can't serve up that basic fundamental tripe like that going forward because it's not going to stack up in big games," Cameron said.
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Jonathon Patton was forced to play large chunks of the game in the ruck, in the absence of Rory Lobb, although Cameron believes the key forward needs to improve if the Giants are to match it with the AFL's top teams.
Patton had 13 hit-outs and 16 disposals, but took just three marks for the game.
"He (Patton) needs to play a hell of a lot better forward of the footy. Equally his ruck work has got better. If you're picking a team at the Giants, he's clearly in the past been picked as a key forward. We haven't got the results we need from Jon - he'd be the first one to say that as well," Cameron said.
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The Giants struggled to effectively connect with their targets inside 50, taking just two marks in the attacking zone for the game, while their tall marking options also struggled to have an influence.
"Clearly a lot of our players are out of form, as a coach we've got to make sure we get them back into form - and Jon is one of them. He's not on his own.
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It's probably more this year (Patton's form has dropped off). Every year since he's had his two knees he's got better and better. But the competition has gotten better. If you don't move ahead of it you get left behind. There's a confidence thing as well."
The Giants were missing up to seven of their best 22 players against the Cats, but Cameron would not use the club's lengthy injury toll as an excuse for their poor performance.
"That's why you have depth there to cover it. We can't say that our depth didn't cover that tonight, it was our top end that didn't step up to the plate tonight."
