Adam Kingsley labelled the 50m penalty paid against Finn Callaghan for an interchange infringement in Greater Western Sydney’s loss to Hawthorn as “excessive”.
Hawk Calsher Dear was lining up for goal 40m out when Callaghan was called for incorrectly entering the field of play, leading to a 50m penalty and goal for Dear.
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Speaking to reporters post-game, Kingsley claimed he hadn’t seen footage of the infringement before a reporter said it appeared Callaghan “stepped an inch or two outside the line”.
“An inch or two?” Kingsley responded. “OK … 50m penalty seems a bit excessive. Walk-in goal,” he said.
“I mean he (Dear) could’ve still kicked the goal (from 40m out), who knows? He’s a pretty good kick.
“I was told it was an interchange infringement, but I didn’t see it.”
Asked if the Giants would look to clarify the call with the AFL, Kingsley said: “Not really.”
The Giants coach said he had bigger issues to ponder ahead of their clash with ladder-leaders Fremantle after his engine room broke down for the second week running.
“We got dominated from the stoppage,” said Kingsley. “Obliterated, really.
“That’s why I’m hesitant to talk about a 10-minute patch in the second quarter, because that was clearly the biggest issue that we had.”
Kingsley will need to find answers fast – and his magnet moves, involving a slate of players switching positions, may just be the catalyst for change.
“We need to increase our versatility,” Kingsley said. “We need to be able to go to a plan B, when plan A’s not working.
“I felt like that was a reasonably good level. “
But clearance wasn’t their only issue.
The once perilous Orange Tsunami is now akin to a small wave break.
“We’re not finding that flow out of the back half as well as what we have in the past, so we’ll keep working on that,” he said.
“We couldn’t move the ball effectively. Some basic turnovers, inability to cope with the pressure. That’s been one of our biggest issues when we’re not playing anywhere near our best, and unfortunately it was again tonight.
High flying Hawks take down Giants | 03:33
“The game’s not clicking, but we don’t give up.
“We keep trying to the last second.”
Injuries to Max Gruzewski and Brent Daniels don’t soften the blow either.
Kingsley confirmed that Daniels – who played just five games last year due to an abdominal injury – will be sent for scans on his calf.
Meanwhile Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell said there was “no concern” surrounding livewire Nick Watson’s hamstring injury.
Watson set up the win with three goals in eight minutes before exiting the contest early.
Hawthorn’s highest rated player in 2026, Watson remains key to the side’s evolution from a “second-tier team”, according to Mitchell, into one that can consistently challenge the best.
“I think if you look at our season 2025, we didn’t play many bad games, but we couldn’t quite beat the best,” said Mitchell.
“When you watched us against the best sides, we just looked just like a second-tier team.”
A scrappy win over the Giants may not exemplify a top-tier performance, but it exposed a new source of dominance for Hawthorn: Its midfield.
The return of Will Day and the rise of Cam Mackenzie have breathed new life into its engine room.
”We look at someone like Cam Mackenzie tonight, I think he was the highest pressure player on the ground. I was super impressed,” Mitchell said.
“The narrative from me has been that our midfield has got a lot of flexibility.
“We’re very pleased with how they perform.”
Hawthorn’s midfield has often been its downfall, but strong clearance performances are providing new ways to win.
“I feel like we’re more competitive against the best this season than we have been in the past,” he said.
”We’re closer than we were.“
The showing secured the four points, but it wasn’t completely free of cause for alarm.
“I was worried,” Mitchell said. “ I did think we opened the door a bit for them, so I was a bit disappointed.
“We didn’t get the game to bed until quite late again.
“We tried to do a couple of things which were a little bit exploratory and that didn’t really work.
“I think the growth from it will be important in this next part of the season.”
Hawthorn will take on Melbourne in Launceston next week, before returning to the MCG to face Carlton, Richmond and Essendon.
— NCA NewsWire