GWS may have found an answer to how to accommodate their three young tall forwards - Jeremy Cameron, Tom Boyd and Jonathan Patton - in the one team. Patton, who started strongly with the first goal of the match, was sent to centre-half back after the Suns responded with six unanswered goals. The move paid dividends with the Giants coming back into the contest briefly. After a fruitless spell forward in the third quarter while the Suns ran away with the contest and Tom Lynch dominated, Patton was once again moved back to stop the bleeding and performed admirably. 

 

Gary Ablett’s career highlights reel is already jam-packed, but they’ll have to make room for at least one more after his second-quarter goal against the Giants. Ablett had just one touch in the quarter at the 15-minute mark and the Giants were (not by pure coincidence) back within eight points. Then Ablett picked the ball up 20m from goal, ran right and faked to kick before spinning 180 degrees and running left. One fake later and he was back on his right foot, leaving two Giants grasping at air as he snapped a kick for goal that flew inches above Nick Haynes on the line.

Giant Jonathan Giles won the hit-out battle with Rory Thompson throughout (51-27) but the Giants were dominated in the clearances with the Suns enjoying a 44-36 advantage. The Suns won the contested possession total 160-127 with Ablett (20), David Swallow (17) and Jaeger O’Meara (16) all excelling. Damningly for the Giants, the Suns also won the tackle count 69-53 with Ablett (11) and O’Meara (10) again leading the way.

Steven May and Jeremy Cameron is a match-up that will likely thrill footy fans for many years to come. May probably got the better of the big Giant who only touched the ball nine times. Yet even in a game where he was quiet, Cameron still booted four goals, showcasing his marking skills and pin-point goalkicking in his few opportunities.