GREATER Western Sydney will call on one of the best midfield stoppers in the game to contain Sydney's devastating ability to attack from defence.
Matt de Boer made his name as a tagger but is set to focus on nullifying the Swans' blistering ball movement from the backline as a defensive half-forward when the teams clash in an elimination final.
The 31-year-old has taken on a similar task since returning to the Giants' line-up for the stirring victory over Geelong in round 21, but will have an especially crucial role on Saturday against the best team in the League at scoring from turnover.
"I started out as a high-pressure forward, run and link player. I've been doing a bit more of that again, trying to complement the forward line with lots of defensive pressure," de Boer told AFL.com.au.
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"Obviously the Swans move the ball really well so we need to make sure with our team defence that we limit what they can do there.
"We need to try to get them into a contested game, take territory as much as possible and make sure we target our forwards well so we don't give their defenders a chance to get the ball and run."
The Giants beat the Swans for contested ball in both of their meetings this season and will this week start with a midfield boosted by the return of Stephen Coniglio and this year's NAB AFL Rising Star runner-up Tom Green.
While the Giants have been able to recall key players in recent weeks, the Swans have been hit by injuries in the run in to finals and will be without star onballers Callum Mills and Josh Kennedy for the clash.
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A healthy list has meant more competition for places in the Giants' midfield and had de Boer and Green battling for the same position mid-season, but the veteran expects a deeper onball brigade will be an advantage over the Swans especially with the addition of their captain Coniglio.
"It's great to have a fit and healthy list for once. It makes sure we push each other hard for spots," de Boer said.
"We want our best players and leaders out there and 'Cogs' is in that bucket. He's been a phenomenal leader for us off-field and we're just looking forward to having him dive back into it on-field as well.
"He could easily play in the midfield with his busy legs and pressure. He could play up forward as well, he's arguably our best tackler, has great skills and can hit the scoreboard."
This will be de Boer's 20th final while seven of his teammates will be playing in their first, an indication of how much the team has been overhauled from the group that played 11 finals in 2016-19.
De Boer will also be one of 12 Giants playing this week who also played the Swans in an elimination final in 2018, although he missed the first and most spiteful Sydney Derby final in 2016.
"All finals and derbies have that extra spirit in them which is great for the game and it's great for us players," de Boer said.
"I know my teammates are really excited that we've drawn a derby in the first week of the finals, we'll just have to make sure we bring that hard edge that we like to have."
