JEREMY Cameron helped himself to six goals as Greater Western Sydney continued its mid-season resurgence with a 108-point demolition of Gold Coast at Spotless Stadium on Saturday night.
But the 20.14 (134) to 4.2 (26) triumph - the club's biggest winning margin in its short AFL history - could come at a cost for the Giants, whose lengthy injury list received some new additions.
Big man Rory Lobb (ribs) and forward Daniel Lloyd (knee) did not play the second half, with the latter facing a nervous wait after receiving a nasty knock in a contest on the wing.
GIANTS CRUSH SUNS Full match coverage and stats
The early prognosis is that Lloyd will miss at least a fortnight, possibly longer.
Lobb was taken to hospital, joining a Giants casualty ward which already includes stars Stephen Coniglio (concussion), Tom Scully (ankle), Brett Deledio (calf) and Toby Greene (foot).
The haul was Cameron's biggest since round one, and provided a bright spot in an otherwise unremarkable fixture that looked over midway through the second term.
Cameron also gathered 26 possessions, while teammate Ryan Griffen celebrated his 250th AFL appearance with two goals.
Bursting through the pack and finishing with class!
— AFL (@AFL) June 9, 2018
Lovely stuff from Jeremy Cameron.#AFLGiantsSuns pic.twitter.com/9ZafyUEyQi
Giants skipper Callan Ward had 34 touches – including 16 in contests – and 10 clearances, while Jacob Hopper (29 disposals, 12 clearances) and Josh Kelly (38 possessions) also shone.
Jarrod Harbrow and Touk Miller never stopped trying for the visitors.
GWS – which lost four straight games between rounds seven and 11 – heads into the bye just two points outside the top eight after back-to-back wins.
CAMERON'S DAY OUT Five talking points
After notching one of the best wins in its history against Adelaide last weekend, GWS coach Leon Cameron was pleased with his side's performance against the Suns – particularly after a dreaded six-day break.
"Backing up after a really good win against Adelaide, it's always interesting to see your group, to see how they've progressed in terms of maturity," he said.
"Sometimes you have games like the Adelaide game and then two weeks later or a week later you can drop your guard."
Gold Coast went down by 102 points in the corresponding fixture last year, and the warning signs of another route were there early.
The Suns lost the inside-50s 17-7 in the opening term, and were lucky to be only 12 points down at quarter-time.
SIMPLY OUTRAGEOUS!
— AFL (@AFL) June 9, 2018
That's ludicrous from Josh Kelly #AFLGiantsSuns pic.twitter.com/WsDZNJwNZx
At that stage they were in the game on the scoreboard at least, but the floodgates soon opened.
Led by Cameron, who kicked three goals in the second stanza, GWS began to make its dominance count and opened up a 44-point lead at the long break.
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Things only got worse for the visitors from there.
GWS booted 11 goals to one in the third and fourth terms, with Matt de Boer cashing in on his return from a hamstring injury with three majors.
Lachie Whitfield (knee) and Dylan Shiel (ankle) both needed treatment during the game. But their injuries did not seem to restrict them, with the duo both dominant on the ball.
Gold Coast’s Jarrod Witts dominated the hit-outs with 64, but his side lost the clearances 54-36.
The Suns were criticised for a lack of effort in their 85-point loss to Geelong last week and coach Stuart Dew said another disappointing defeat would not be "swept under the carpet".
Daniel Lloyd injured his knee in the second quarter.
— AFL (@AFL) June 9, 2018
He will not return.
Update thanks to @MLC_Australia.#AFLGiantsSuns pic.twitter.com/EIibi82tcD
"As a midfield group that's two in a row where we've let ourselves down," he said.
"We can't hide from it. We knew as a club where we were at, at the start of the year.
"We want to build it right. Tonight says we've treaded water."
MEDICAL ROOM
Greater Western Sydney: Second-year player Lloyd (knee) will spend at least two weeks on the sidelines after going down in the second term. Lobb (ribs), who missed four games earlier this season with a knee injury, finished the night in hospital. Lachie Whitfield (knee) and Dylan Shiel (ankle) both needed treatment but dominated after returning to the field.
Gold Coast: The Suns appear to have emerged from the game with a clean bill of health.
NEXT UP
The Suns return to Metricon Stadium where they will host St Kilda in a Saturday twilight fixture. GWS have a bye in round 13, before a clash against the Lions at the Gabba.
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 2.6 9.9 17.12 20.14 (134)
GOLD COAST 1.0 3.1 4.1 4.2 (26)
GOALS
Greater Western Sydney: Cameron 6, de Boer 3, Kelly 2, Ward 2, Himmelberg 2, Reid 2, Patton, Langdon, Lloyd
Gold Coast: Young 2, Harbrow, Brodie
BEST
Greater Western Sydney: Cameron, Kelly, Ward, Whitfield, Hopper, Davis, Shiel, de Boer
Gold Coast: Witts, Miller, Harbrow, Ainsworth
INJURIES
Greater Western Sydney: Lobb (rib), Lloyd (knee), Shiel (ankle)
Gold Coast: Ainsworth (hand)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Stevic, Brown, Mollison
Official crowd: 7,131 at Spotless Stadium