AFL Preview Round 15: Giants v Hawks

GWS v Hawthorn
Sat 7:25pm at Spotless Stadium

It’s a battle of 9th v 8th when the Hawks travel up to Sydney to take on the Giants at Spotless Stadium on Saturday evening. After Jeremy Cameron’s much publicized elbow landing him a holiday for 5 weeks, and fellow A-graders Brett Deledio and Toby Greene still sidelined with injury, the Giants need some forwards to stand up if they are any chance of returning to September action. The Hawks go into this match as underdog, but you just know Hawthorn’s angry little man, Alistair Clarkson, will be keen to crash the Ferrari.

Form

GWS (LLWWW) – They’ve won 3 in a row after finding themselves in a massive hole, but no one is talking about that. The Giants once again find themselves without a key player due to an ill-discplined act (to put it extremely mildly)- and it could very well prove to be the straw that broke the camels back. On the plus side, the Ferrari does look to have finally clicked into gear again and is purring nicely, with Coniglio, Kelly, Shiel and Ward ably supported by Taranto, Hopper and Whitfield- giving the Giants the right fuel formula for their expensive ride.

Hawthorn (LLWWW) – It certainly wasn’t pretty, but the Hawks dealt with a stubborn Suns side, accelerating away at the end of the game as expected- much like their game the previous round against Adelaide where proceedings were initially tight. Alistair Clarkson still doesn’t appear to be entirely sure of his best forward structure, and there is somewhat of a disjointed nature to it, but the way they have been defending all across the ground means they just keep staying in the contest and find enough contributors to hit the scoreboard.

Stats That Matter– Their last meeting was a thrilling 97-all Draw
– Both Callan Ward and Josh Kelly average 30+ disposals and 115+ Fantasy Points per game against Hawthorn
– Hawthorn have a percentage of 195% in 3rd quarters this season
– GWS have won both meetings at Spotless Stadium at an average of 42 points
– The Giants are 1-5 on the Over/Under at home
– Jaeger O’Meara averages 108 Fantasy Points per game against GWS
– The Hawks last 4 matches have all gone Unders

Betting Data

2018 Line: GWS- 4-9; Hawthorn- 7-6

2018 Over-Under: GWS- 5-8; Hawthorn- 4-9

What To Expect

What a huge match this one is! It is absolutely the ol’ ‘8 point game’ and it is a critical as they come given their respective positions on the ladder. Wolfie is wondering where the Giants are going to score their goals from given a) Johnathan Patton is close to career-worst form and b) the two leading goalscorers for the side this year aside from Cameron are Griffen and Langdon (12 each). Clarkson will no doubt have spent a bit of time this week preparing his boys to limit the influence of the Giants midfield and the value of the Hawks is too good to ignore. Looks like a tight one.

How It’s Shaping UpHawthorn by 7

Recommended Bets

Best Bet: Hawthorn 1-39 ($2.50)
Value Bet: HT/FT- Giants/Hawks ($7.25)
Player Prop: Callan Ward 30+ Disposals ($2.85)
First Goalscorer: Stephen Coniglio