Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
GWS coach Adam Kingsley was left to lament a stoppage “obliteration” as the Giants’ injury-plagued season sinks fast.
The Giants added two more names an already lengthy injury list in Friday night’s 14-point defeat to Hawthorn.
Young forward Max Gruzewski and dynamo teammate Brent Daniels suffered possible season-ending injuries in a horror minute during the second quarter.
Gruzewski (dislocated patella) and Daniels (calf) will undergo scans to determine the severity but there is every chance they both won’t play again this year.
The Giants already have key players Tom Green, Josh Kelly, Jack Buckley, Darcy Jones and Jesse Hogan on an injury list containing 16 players.
GWS could be as low as 14th by the end of the round, their third-straight loss slumping them to 6-9 this season.
Hawthorn battered them in clearances 54-29, despite the Giants still having Clayton Oliver, Finn Callaghan and Toby Greene in the midfield mix.
“Incredibly disappointed,” Kingsley said of the clearance conundrum.
“We got dominated from stoppage, obliterated, really.
“That’s why I’m hesitant to talk about a 10-minute patch in the second quarter (when Hawthorn kicked five quick goals) because that was clearly the biggest issue that we had.
“The ball lived in our back half, we couldn’t move the ball effectively, some basic turnovers, inability to cope with pressure, handballing at feet, kicking to them.”
GWS have endured an inconsistent season, smashing reigning premiers Brisbane by 78 points, but winning just one of four games since.
Hawthorn’s stoppage game was in a similar spot to the Giants’ early in the year, but the return of Will Day has supercharged the Hawks’ midfield with Jai Newcombe and young gun Cam McKenzie.
Even by missing out on Essendon star Zach Merrett in last year’s trade period, Hawks coach Sam Mitchell believes his team is capable of challenging the best.
“You guys (the media) have said from the start of this year ‘Hawthorn’s midfield, Hawthorn’s midfield’, but that hasn’t been my narrative,” Mitchell said.
“We’re very pleased with how they perform.
“On paper, are we the best team in it from a midfield point of view? Maybe not.
“But we don’t feel like we’re going to be intimidated by anyone else’s midfield crew because of the way they work together.”
