A SERIOUS shoulder injury to Matt de Boer has robbed Greater Western Sydney of one of its biggest weapons this season, so how will coach Leon Cameron re-structure the team's midfield?
The use of de Boer as a tagger this season has been a masterstroke by the Giants, with the former Docker taking down some of the game's most damaging onballers including Dustin Martin, Tim Kelly and Patrick Cripps.
But his absence for the next couple of months means Cameron no longer has his No.1 shutdown man available, so will he hand the run-with role to another player or trust the rest of his star midfielders to step up defensively?
THE RUN HOME Who will make finals?
All Australian gun Josh Kelly said on Monday he wasn't sure which way the coaching staff would go but backed his teammates to do the job starting against Essendon on Thursday night.
"It's a funny problem to have because at the start of the year Matty was thrown into that role and he's been massive and did it so well that he became a fixture in our side," he said.
"(But our attitude has) always been if one player goes out, another one comes in and is expected to play his role for the team.
"In terms of changing our structure I don't think Matty being out will matter too much, we've had Sam Reid doing jobs in the back half and doing well every week, and we had Adam Kennedy do a job on Jared Polec against the Kangaroos.
"It's up to us as leaders in the midfield to go to another level and step up to help the team."
FULL INJURY LIST Who's ruled out and who's a test?
Former Giant Dylan Shiel would have been a potential target for de Boer, with the explosive onballer averaging 26.8 possessions and 5.8 clearances per game in his first season at the Bombers.
Kelly is well aware of the 26-year-old's abilities and after missing the Giants' round one clash with Essendon, said he's looking forward to crossing paths with Shiel.
Find AFL Exchange on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.
"I think he's having a great year, I've been really happy for him seeing him cement his spot in the team at Essendon," he said.
"But as is always the case when you go up against a mate or ex-teammate, once the siren goes you're there to try and get the win."
FANTASY FORM WATCH Bye byes, hello normality
The Giants belted the Bombers by 72 points at Giants Stadium in the season opener in a stunning start to the year, but Kelly said the result isn't a factor when the teams meet at Marvel Stadium this week.
"They're a different team now, as is the case with everyone 14 rounds into the season," he said.
"They've probably worked on different things and I'm sure there'll be different players in the team.
"Obviously we take a bit of confidence from it, but their best football is really good, so we'll plan for that and hopefully we can execute our game plan and get the win."
