Veteran midfielder Callan Ward says the Giants can have no bother following up the excessive of their Sydney derby win with a fierce efficiency towards their different arch rivals on Saturday.
The rivalry between GWS and Ward’s former Western Bulldogs is without doubt one of the purest within the league, with the inaugural GWS captain saying the 2 golf equipment have adopted very comparable paths on-field since their fateful 2016 preliminary remaining assembly.
Both group’s supporters and impartial viewers have been enthralled because the Giants and Bulldogs threw every little thing at one another in a one-goal recreation performed at breakneck velocity, and Ward stated the persevering with quick and ferocious soccer between the 2 sides excites the gamers as a lot because the followers.
“(The creation of a rivalry) was something I thought about when I first moved, but I guess a few staff and players went between the clubs, then we had a couple of games that were just really good games of football to watch – they were just quick and played at really high intensity,” he stated.
“I think it’s become a game the players from both teams and both sets of supporters really look forward to.
“I think it really started to heat up in the 2016 preliminary final – obviously when you play against teams in a big final, it almost does build that rivalry straight away, and fans don’t forget about a game like that quickly.”
He stated the Giants’ taking part in group required no winding up from coach Adam Kingsley to be prepared for the event.
“The Dogs and the Swans are probably our two biggest rivals and the players know that, so it’s not something we need to address or pump up within our walls because we already know it’s going to be a big one,” Ward stated.
“Everyone knows their midfield is really star-studded … making sure we hit our tackles is really important, they have really fast hands and try to get the ball to the outside, so we have to win that contested ball on the inside.”
Young defender Connor Idun will play his fiftieth recreation within the grudge match at Canberra’s Manuka Oval, with Ward applauding the 22-year-old’s calm and composure behind the ball for GWS.
“He’s one of my closer mates and he’s 11 or 12 years younger than me, so it’s always funny when you hang around with guys that age, but I feel like we’re really similar in age, either he’s really mature or I’m really immature,” Ward stated.
“We do get on really well and my kids love him as well. He’s a great guy and the way he goes about his football is fantastic, I think he’ll play a lot more than 50 games, that’s for sure.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
