GREATER Western Sydney coach Adam Kingsley has hit out strongly at suggestions that the controversial dissent call paid against Stephen Coniglio had anything to do with the Giants star badgering the umpires for free kicks.
The topic is still the centre of discussions around the Giants as they prepare for the trip to Melbourne to take on Essendon on Sunday.
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It's a clash Kingsley concedes No.1 draft pick Aaron Cadman is unlikely to make his long-awaited debut in, while also revealing that the club has asked the AFL about some of the physical treatment Toby Greene received that saw him accrue just five possessions last weekend.
The Giants coach launched a staunch defence of Coniglio amid reports that his constant calls for free kicks led to the dissent decision going against him at a crucial time in the loss to Carlton on Saturday.
"I know the rhetoric has been around it being a reaction to numerous events. I can tell you that is just complete rubbish," Kingsley said.
"That's not the case at all. Anyone who wants to attack the decision from that angle is completely wrong.
"That's complete rubbish. When you look at 'Cogs' you're dealing with one of the most respected people in the AFL."
Kingsley said the dissent rule in essence is the 'right rule' but that the incorrect interpretation of it should have been admitted by the AFL in the wake of the 10-point win by the Blues.
"We know it's a hard game to umpire already so why are we making it more difficult?" Kingsley asked.
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"Whether a mistake was made on the weekend or not, it's our view that it was, so let's just admit it and move on."
With one win from the first three games of his embryonic head coaching career, Kingsley has labelled the Giants' start to the season as ‘OK'.
Greene enjoyed a superb opening fortnight to the campaign but was shackled brilliantly by Nic Newman on Saturday and kept to just five possessions and a goal.
Kingsley concedes his superstar forward was soundly beaten but that they weren't happy with some of the body work Greene received and have questioned the umpiring department over it.
"There was a couple of incidents that I thought warranted a free kick but it's probably the same in every game," he said.
"There's no doubt he was disappointed with the impact, we could have helped him better. He was certainly under some physical pressure and we've asked the question around some of those incidents but the reality is he was beaten by his opponent and we move on."
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While the search for greater support for Greene and Jesse Hogan inside 50 for the Giants continues, the wait for Cadman to come in looks set to remain.
"I think he's less likely this week but again we haven't really sat down as a group and discussed that," Kingsley said.
"Hogan has been pretty good, [Jake] Riccardi was a lot better last week, [Harry] Himmelberg is having moments but is suffering a little bit from the ball use rather than him. The reality for Aaron is he's just got to keep plugging away and his time will come."
The Giants suffered a blow during the week with pick 21 from last year's draft Darcy Jones ruled out for the season after rupturing his ACL.
"I was looking at him as an early round bolter to come into our team and provide that forward line pressure and spark so we're really disappointed he's going to miss the season," Kingsley said.
