The Giants have snapped a three-game losing streak in the most unexpected fashion – by ending the Dockers′ club-record 14-game winning streak in Canberra on Saturday.
But it has come at a cost – star midfielder Lachie Whitfield missed the second half with a concussion having copped a nasty blow to the head in the dying seconds of the second quarter.
Giants star Lachie Whitfield was ruled out of the remainder of his side’s clash with the Dockers with a concussion. Fox Footy
Whitfield was involved in a marking contest with teammate Harry Himmelberg and Docker Sean Darcy when the incident happened. Whitfield was helped to his feet and walked off the field, but was ruled out with a concussion at half-time.
The 31-year-old had been superb to that point, registering 20 disposals. Whitfield’s addition takes the list of crippled Giants to a whopping 15.
The hosts led for just about the entire match and eventually ran out 16.13 (109) to 13.10 (88) winners.
Off-contract at season’s end, Toby Greene was among the Giants’ best with 27 disposals and three goals. Jake Stringer was also in sensational form, slotting seven majors.
The Giants weren’t the only team with a fresh arrival into the casualty ward. Fremantle midfielder Hayden Young also left the field in the second half with a suspected groin injury.
The loss sees their two-win cushion at the top of the ladder halved after the Swans’ victory over the Bulldogs on Friday night.
Elsewhere, the Demons notched up a 35-point win over the Hawks in Launceston, but at one point looked on track to lose the unlosable.
The visitors were just about perfect in the first half while the hosts were woeful. The Demons carried an 86-9 lead into the main break.
In commentary for Fox Footy, 1988 Brownlow winner Gerard Healy labelled the Hawks’ first-half performance “embarrassing”.
The Demons extended the lead to 96 midway through the third term before all but walking off the field.
The Hawks completely flipped the momentum and went on a tear to kick the next 12-straight goals – the Demons didn’t so much as kick a point – to trim the lead to 24, and threaten to smash the record for biggest comebacks in history.
It was not to be. The Demons kicked the last two goals for a final margin of 35 points – 19.11 (125) to 14.6 (90).
When asked post-game if he could make sense of what had just happened, Dees skipper Max Gawn gave a flat “no”.
“Their third quarter was immense, and their third set up their fourth to be honest,” he said on Fox Footy.
The Demons did their best to cough up a 96-point third quarter lead. Getty Images
“Momentum is a funny thing … there was a bit of luck there, but when you have the momentum the luck goes your way sometimes.”
The loss ends a 12-game winning streak the Hawks had held at the venue. It’s also the Demon’s first win from six matches outside Victoria this season.
It also smashed the Hawks’ previous biggest half-time deficit at the venue, which was 31 points.