James Frawley
There will be no time for James Frawley to work into his return to action after his three-week stint on the sidelines on Sunday. Frawley appears the obvious option to be assigned the task of stopping a red-hot Jeremy Cameron. Booting six goals last week, Cameron will have all the confidence in the world but Frawley can rightfully have his own sense of assurance after outstanding performances against the likes of Ben Brown and Taylor Walker earlier this year.
Ben McEvoy
With Giants ruckman Shane Mumford having been withdrawn from their squad due to injury, McEvoy’s opportunity to have a game-defining influence on this game gains strength. No ruckman has averaged more hit-outs than Mumford this year, but without him Leon Cameron looks to Dawson Simpson who has made just two appearances this year. Meanwhile McEvoy is amidst a career-best year as one of the game’s most dominant big men. If the Hawks are to upset the Giants this weekend, you’d suspect the 29-year-old will have to have a big say.
Blake Hardwick
Despite so many of his teammates getting so much more of the fanfare, Blake Hardwick continues to go by his business in a resoundingly impressive fashion. Coming off a second-place finish in last year’s Peter Crimmins Medal count, Hardwick is averaging career-high disposal numbers this season with 17.9 touches per game. The 22-year-old’s 5.6 rebound 50s per game also highlight that he is being trusted more and more with kick-starting the Hawks ball movement out of the back half.
Zac Williams
A name that might not be highly-renowned in Victoria, but nevertheless a significant cog in the Giants’ game style. Averaging 29 possessions over the past three weeks, Williams has had more of the ball than any of his teammates over this period. With 8.3 rebound 50s per game over this period, the 24-year-old has emerged as one of his side’s favoured ball-handlers out of its defensive half.
Jeremy Finlayson
While another Jeremy has been getting all the plaudits (and deservedly so) this year, there is another Jeremy who has quietly put together an impressive start to the season as the Cameron-variety’s right-hand-man. Only 12 players in the competition have put more goals on the board than Finlayson so far this season, which is pretty remarkable when you consider that the 23-year-old’s experience as a forward prior to 2019 was next to none.
