By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
GREATER Western Sydney will aim for its maiden win over Geelong when the sides clash on Saturday at StarTrack Oval in Canberra.
The Cats have had the Giants’ measure since the new club’s initiation into the league, handing out a pair of 50-plus-point thrashings in the first two meetings.
But this season the tables are turned, with the western Sydney side sitting seventh on the ladder and striving for its first finals campaign.
The Giants closed the gap the last time the two teams met, scrabbling to within seven points.
Punters are finding it hard to separate the two sides this week.
A loss to Geelong would put the wobbles under the fledgling club, with competition fierce for the last four finals spots.
Geelong is not yet out of contention, either, so a loss would have dire consequences for the Cats’ season as well.
But coach Chris Scott has stressed the dual objectives of the season all along: play as well as possible week to week with an eye on the future.
Scott knows a flag is not in the offing for the Cats this season, or next, but a critical mass of players with age and game experience on their side could do damage in 2017.
The Giants have bounced back from a form slump to win their past two games and Geelong showed glimpses of form to beat the Western Bulldogs last weekend.
Interestingly, this is a battle between the most and least accurate teams. Geelong is ranked first at almost 54 per cent, while the Giants are 18th at 46 per cent.
The Giants are undefeated from two games at StarTrack Oval this season, while the Cats travel to Canberra for the first time since 2006 after losing twice to North Melbourne in the national capital.
Scott acknowledged the challenge of playing in unknown territory.
“It’s going to be a different environment,” he said.
“Sometimes games in Canberra can feel a long way away from AFL footy at the MCG with 80,000 people.
“It’s going to be different but that’ll be a good step in our development as well, to take a professional approach to the game irrespective of the conditions, the supporters or how cold it is, just get out there and get the job done.”
Scott said the Giants were a threat to the Cats despite still undergoing development.
“Their midfield is still really strong, really hard runners, use the ball well and when they get the game on their terms they can score really quickly.
“They’re still developing in some key positions of the game but, having said that, their two power forwards are already damaging players.
“It would be a big mistake for us to go into the game thinking they’ve got some players still developing and we might have a physical edge.”
