Anzac Day has traditionally been left aside for football heavyweights Collingwood and Essendon over the last two decades. On Saturday, these two will share it with four other matches on a day where the league’s fixturing aficionados have put together a salivating line-up of football. Regardless of the magnitude of the clash at the MCG earlier in the day, the most intriguing game of the day, and of the entire round, is between the AFL’s two newest clubs. When the Gold Coast SUNS travel to Canberra to face Greater Western Sydney, the eyes of the football world will be firmly focused on the outcome of the game.
 
After a less than impressive start to his third reign as senior coach, Rodney Eade is beginning to get his troops to play in the manner in which he demands. A game built on intent and effort, trademarks that were there for all to see in last Sunday’s nine-point loss to Geelong at Simonds Stadium. It was a game that shouldn’t have been lost given Gold Coast’s dominance of several key areas of the game. But, after two disappointing performances against Melbourne and St Kilda in the opening two rounds of the season, the wheels are in motion for a SUNS resurgence.
 
Greater Western Sydney has leapt out of the blocks in 2015 with early wins against St Kilda and Melbourne, and a gallant loss against cross-town rivals Sydney at the SCG last weekend. The competition’s youngest side topped up on mature-aged talent during last year’s frenetic trade period, acquiring Western Bulldogs captain Ryan Griffen and dual Brisbane Lions best and fairest winner Joel Patfull in a major recruiting coup. Griffen’s presence attracts attention from the opposition – freeing up a couple of the Giants' young midfielders. Who are already expressing their gratitude. Think Dylan Shiel. Think Adam Treloar.
 
The Giants midfield brigade is on the cusp of emerging as a genuine force. Although they might be a couple of years off consistent high-level performance, their depth and talent could one day be the envy of the entire competition. Treloar, Devon Smith and Toby Greene have already proven themselves on a consistent basis, whilst Stephen Coniglio, Lachie Whitfield, Josh Kelly, Tom Scully and Tom Bugg all have star quality. When you add seasoned stars Griffen and Callan Ward to the mix you get a proper understanding of their depth, talent and with the last two, leadership. They might not be Sydney, Fremantle or Hawthorn just yet, but they may well be in the not to distant future.
 
When Tom Boyd departed at the end of last season and Jon Patton in the early stages of his second knee rehabilitation process, there was some concern at the Giants regarding who would support Jeremy Cameron in attack. Adam Tomlinson had shown glimpses of playing in the key posts at either end, but he hadn’t cemented a role and is now on the sidelines for an extended spell. Enter Cam McCarthy. The sharpshooter has leapt from anonymity to a starting role in Greater Western Sydney’s forward line, and after three games he leads the club’s goal kicking with eight majors next to his name – one more than Cameron. McCarthy’s ability to convert set shots under pressure is elite and particularly valuable in modern football where goals are worth their weight in gold. He’s not a power forward in Patton or Boyd’s mould, but he has great hands and a reliability in front of the sticks that first reared its head during a NAB Challenge game against the SUNS in March when he kicked three last quarter goals. The Cameron-McCarthy tandem is enthralling and can’t be judged on such a small sample size. But, by season’s end it might be one of the more devastating young forward pairings in the game.

Key Players

Adam Treloar is a ball magnet that can cut opposition sides apart. Like Shiel, he has profited from Griffen’s arrival in the harbour city. In the opening three games of the season, Treloar is averaging 28.3 possessions at a staggering disposal efficiency of 82.4 per cent – last weekend he gathered 29 possessions at a phenomenal 96.6 per cent. Treloar is also averaging 5 clearances and 4 inside 50s per game to further underline his strong start to the season. After finishing fourth and fifth in the last two GWS best and fairest counts, Treloar is on an upward trajectory that could reach new heights in 2015.

Shane Mumford is the Giants' most important player. Whilst the game’s 18th franchise has an abundance of pure class on its list, the man mountain has the ability to physically drag his side across the line. And when the Giants win, it’s usually on the back of a significant contribution from one of the AFL’s best ruckmen. Mumford hasn’t quite grabbed a game by the scruff of the neck just yet in 2015, but his numbers are right at the top of the tree. He is ranked fourth across the board in hitouts (34.0 per game), hitout win percentage (45.7%) and the all-important hitouts to advantage (13.0). Along with North Melbourne’s Todd Goldstein and Fremantle giant Aaron Sandilands, Mumford is in the top echelon of ruckmen in the game. However, you could argue that his importance on the Giants fortunes is even greater than the other two at their respective clubs. Maybe a debate for a different forum, but you get the point.
 
One player who has been a major beneficiary of Ryan Griffen’s arrival is hard-nosed onballer Dylan Shiel. If the best and fairest votes were made public at this stage of proceedings, the Victorian would more likely than not be leading the Kevin Sheedy medal. The 22-year-old has had an injury chequered past, but on the back of a full pre-season he looks to have taken giant leaps over the summer. He was down on his output against the Swans last weekend, but his first two games were huge with an average of 27 disposals, 7.5 clearances and 5.5 tackles. Shiel’s ability to retain possession was also a feature, to go with the three goals he booted in the Giants come from behind victory over Melbourne in round two.

New Faces

Ryan Griffen’s decision to walk out on the Western Bulldogs during a tumultuous period in the Victorian club’s history was major news in this code. The fact he fled to Greater Western Sydney, away from the football microscope and for less money than he could have got on the open market was also a telling factor. But, now with his decision in the past, Griffen’s football must do the talking. From all reports his pre-season in Blacktown was impeccable with the All Australian midfielder finding a love of the game again, only months after the flame appeared to have gone out. He hasn’t been at his prolific best in his first three outings in orange, averaging 18 possessions per outing – down from his career average of 21.7. But, his arrival has freed up the younger midfielders in the Giants onball rotation.
 
The back six at Greater Western Sydney has regularly come under the microscope during their formative years. The acquiring of Heath Shaw at the end of 2013, coupled with the poaching of Joel Patfull at the end of last year has helped steady the ship down back. Lance Franklin soundly beat the key defender last weekend at the SCG, but then again he does that to most. With Phil Davis and Nick Haynes stringing games together, Patfull’s experience and team-first approach to his game will definitely benefit the Giants the longer this season progresses. The two-time Merrett-Murray medallist will no doubt play a big role in quelling in form SUNS spearhead Tom Lynch, whether as a direct opponent or coming to the aid of Davis.

Recent Results

Gold Coast: 0 wins, 3 losses
Rd1 – Gold Coast 13.11 (89) def by Melbourne 17.13 (115) @ MCG
Rd2 – Gold Coast 10.16 (76) def by St Kilda 16.8 (104) @ Metricon Stadium
Rd3 – Gold Coast 13.18 (96) def by Geelong 16.9 (105) @ Simonds Stadium
 
Greater Western Sydney: 2 wins, 1 loss
Rd1 – Greater Western Sydney 12.15 (87) def St Kilda 11.12 (78) @ Etihad Stadium
Rd2 – Greater Western Sydney 15.11 (101) def Melbourne 15.11 (101) @ StarTrack Oval
Rd3 – Greater Western Sydney 12.18 (90) def by Sydney 16.15 (111) @ SCG

Key Stats

Clearances (diff.)
Gold Coast +12 (ranked 2nd)
Greater Western Sydney +1 (8th)
 
Contested ball (diff.)
Gold Coast +2.7 (10th)
Greater Western Sydney +5.7 (6th)
 
Tackles
Gold Coast 53 (16th)
Greater Western Sydney 58.3 (13th)
 
Inside 50 (for)
Gold Coast 54.7 (8th)
Greater Western Sydney 55.7 (4th)
 
Disposal efficiency (for)
Gold Coast 67.9 (17th)
Greater Western Sydney 75.2 (5th)