Match day guide and preview for the 2022 AFL round 21 game between the GWS Giants and Essendon Bombers.
Match details
Who: GWS Giants vs Essendon Bombers
When: Saturday 6 August 2022, 2.10pm
Where: Giants Stadium
Weather: Min 10 max 19. Chance of rain 5%
All time head-to-head record: Played 13. Giants 7 wins. Bombers 6 wins.
Teams
Giants
IN: Jake Riccardi, Kieren Briggs, Stephen Coniglio
OUT: Callum M. Brown (omitted), Jacob Wehr (injured), Xavier O’Halloran (omitted), Tim Taranto (injury)
As of Friday afternoon, Taranto has been ruled out with delayed concussion with Lachie Ash coming back into the side. Coniglio has been one of the Giants’ best in a difficult season and is a huge inclusion. Briggs, Riccardi and last week’s medi-sub Lachie Keeffe are in the 22 and add plenty of size.
Bombers
IN: Andrew McGrath, Darcy Parish
OUT: Jye Caldwell (injured), Jye Menzie (medi-sub), Massimo D’Ambrosio (omitted)
The Bombers get a couple of quality players back in McGrath and Parish. Caldwell is out with a calf strain, while D’Ambrosio has been dropped.
Season so far and the run home
GWS Giants 16th – 82.5% | 1409 points for | 1707 points against | 5 wins 14 losses | LLLLW
The Giants are in an unfamiliar position with their season done well before finals start and it is starting to really impact them.
The wheels have well and truly fell off after last week’s 73-point belting at the hands of the Swans that left interim coach Mark McVeigh seething.
McVeigh made claims that players had “checked out” in a stunning post-match press conference and singled out just 8 individuals that he believed gave effort across the full game.
The Giants have really struggled to get the ball forward and score over the last four weeks, averaging just 45.25 points per game, while conceding an average of 96.25 points.
GWS have been a proud club over the years and they would be desperate to atone for last week over their final three matches against the Bombers, Bulldogs and Dockers.
Essendon Bombers 14th – 89.8% | 1531 points for | 1704 points against | 7 wins 12 losses | WLWWW
The Bombers have started to play their best footy recently, but unfortunately it’s too little, too late after a dismal first half of the year.
They have beaten three top eight sides in the last seven weeks in Sydney, St Kilda and Brisbane in recent weeks, while also snatching defeat from the jaws of victory against Collingwood.
Essendon are now prepared to take more risks with the ball and have got back to that frantic running game we saw from them last year which is clearly working.
The Bombers take on the Giants, Power and Tigers over the next three weeks and would love to finish off the season well to build into 2023.
Last 5 meetings and Giants Stadium history
- 2021 round 19: Bombers 7.11 (53) lost to Giants 9.12 (66) at Metricon Stadium,
- 2021 round 8: Giants 16.11 (107) defeat Bombers 16.9 (105) at Giants Stadium
- 2020 round 10: Bombers 8.7 (55) lost to Giants 8.11 (59) at Metricon Stadium
- 2019 round 15: Bombers 12.5 (77) defeat Giants 10.11 (71) at Marvel Stadium
- 2019 round 1: Giants 16.16 (112) defeat Bombers 5.10 (40) at Giants Stadium
The Giants have a terrific recent record over the Bombers having won four of the last five clashes and seven of the last nine.
There have been several close encounters in recent times, with three of the last four games decided by a goal or less, including a two-point thriller in Sydney last year.
This will be the ninth meeting at Giants Stadium with the ledge all square at 4 wins each. The Bombers won three of the first four clashes at the venue, with GWS winning three of the last four.
Pre match predictions
Package has it on a string: Jake ‘the Package’ Stringer to kick four goals.
Checking back in: After checking out last week, GWS stars Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper to combine for 50 touches and a goal.
Have any pre match predictions of your own? Let us know in the comments below.
