The GWS injury crisis will bring out the best in coach Adam Kingsley.

That’s the view of former Port Adelaide mentor Ken Hinkley, who expects the Giants to be motivated by their monumental pre-season challenge.

Tom Greene (ACL), Sam Taylor (hamstring), Finn Callaghan (hip) and Toby Bedford (hamstring) have all been all sidelined in a nightmare week.

But Hinkley is backing Kingsley to use the “real challenging task” as fuel for the Giants.

“I think the game is more than who plays who on a day, it’s what’s available to you on the day, where you play them at, what quality is available,” Hinkley said at the Kayo season launch.

“If you look at GWS right now, I think they’re going to have three of their best five players in my view unavailable round 1.

“That makes it a real challenging task for them, but it doesn’t mean they can’t win because ‘Kingers’ will get them flying.

“He’ll get them up and about and that’s what he’ll use to motivate them … They’ve got a massively deep list so they should be OK.”

GWS has had one of the best lists in the competition but has fallen short in finals – headlined by a straight sets exit in 2024 after being in two winning positions against Sydney and Brisbane.

The Giants released a documentary via Channel 7 last week that lifted the curtain on a brutal spray Kingsley delivered at half time of a match against Sydney.

Hinkley says there’s still room for “a bake” and the players’ response is why he has confidence the Giants can overcome their injury setbacks.

“Is it still in game to give a bake? Yeah, it’s still in the game, it’s good,” he said.

“It’s a bit of fun and that’s why you build such tight relationships with your playing group, you do that for those moments you need to lean on good or bad.

“Whether it’s to give them a bake or give them a pat on the back, you build up the relationship because they know you care.

“That GWS team knew ‘Kingers’ was in their corner and how much he cares, he was just disappointed in that moment but the response … it was clear they played for him.”

Originally published as AFL 2026: How GWS will overcome ‘challenging task’ of recent injuries