THE ATHLETICISM of Essendon big man Joe Daniher looms as Greater Western Sydney's biggest threat in Saturday's clash at Spotless Stadium.
Daniher has kicked 29 goals this season, and while his finishing has been identified as an issue at times, he's been in particularly devastating form over the past month, booting 16.2 from his past four games.
GWS co-captain Phil Davis is likely to get first crack at the 23-year-old on Saturday, with Aidan Corr and Adam Tomlinson other options depending on where Daniher spends his time in the forward half.
Giants coach Leon Cameron said the star Bomber's mobility to cover plenty of ground and win his own footy, coupled with his aerial talents, make him an extremely tough player to counter.
"It was only a matter of time, and these young key forwards need that time, he's an exceptional young talent," he said.
"He's 200cm and can win the ball on the ground, and that's very rare.
"We feel as though we've got a player like that here in Rory Lobb, they can play in the air equally as well as they can on the ground, and play in the ruck.
"His last three or four weeks have been exceptional, and it's a huge task for Aidan Corr and Phil Davis to make sure that his influence is not helping them get over the line.
"They've got a pretty good player in (Cale) Hooker as well, he gives a really good marking contest for them, and James Stewart is playing some good footy as well. So they've got a really good three-pronged attack and it's a very dangerous forward line."
Daniher's booming leg also makes him a dangerous threat when he's in the ruck, and with the Giants going in with Shane Mumford as their sole ruckman, it's an area the Bombers could look to exploit against the home side.
"Because they've got speed and they can run, and they're so tall, they're really hard to counter, especially as a second ruck," Cameron said.
"We back in 'Mummy' (Shane Mumford) as well, we think he had a big say last week, but having Daniher and Tom Bellchambers up against Mumford for large periods is going to be a huge challenge for him.
"We used Harry Himmelberg as a second ruckman last week and he'll give away 7-8cm at centre bounces and around-the-ground stoppages, but hopefully we can get that chop out again."
Brett Deledio steps it up at Giants training on Friday. Picture: Getty Images
The Giants ticked off another milestone with their first win over West Coast last week, but Cameron said his players must consolidate those valuable four points won on the road by maintaining their perfect record at Spotless Stadium this year.
"There's no doubt we were happy with the win sitting in the rooms last week, it's a fine achievement, but by Monday night we were back here and onto the Bombers," he said.
"We've seen sides that have had fantastic wins this year and haven't been able to back it up the week after because the opposition have been able to prepare really well, and that’s our challenge."