AFL superstar Toby Greene will almost certainly return to boost GWS as coach Adam Kingsley declared finals are still firmly on the Giants’ radar.
Greene has missed GWS’ last two matches – defeats to premiership contenders Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs – with an ankle injury.
The Giants captain was initially named to face the Magpies but was ruled out two days before the eventual 65-point loss at the MCG.
Greene hurt himself during his match-winning performance in the Giants’ memorable one-point victory over crosstown rivals Sydney in round seven.
GWS will face St Kilda on Sunday for their first game at Giants Stadium since round three as the Saints seek to rebound from a surprise smashing in Adelaide.
“(Greene) was really close on Sunday (against Collingwood), but he still has to get through training (this week),” Kingsley said on Wednesday.
“The signs right now look good … I’m not going to pre-empt that he’s definitely playing but it looks more likely than that last week anyway, and he was really close last then.”
Despite the Giants sitting 15th with just three wins, Kingsley believes his team can still surge up the ladder in his first year at the club.
GWS last played finals in 2021, but long-time coach Leon Cameron departed last May after an uninspiring start to the 2022 campaign.
“I still think this season is more about than just finals for us,” Kingsley said.
“We want to make finals and play towards finals, but we have a lot of growth to do for us to become that team that we want to be.
“I still think we can play finals, even if we don’t get the result this weekend, but we’ve got a lot of work to do and that’s that’s where our focus lies.”