GREATER Western Sydney will once again rest Coleman medallist Jesse Hogan this week while experienced midfielder Josh Kelly will also sit out Thursday night’s clash with Essendon.
With just a five-day turnaround from Saturday’s win over Geelong, Giants coach Adam Kingsley is opting to manage some of his sore stars.
Captain Toby Greene was restricted to running laps at training and is no guarantee to play either while Jack Buckley also missed the session after playing with a sore ankle against the Cats.
All-Australian defender Sam Taylor will also be given another week to recover from a toe injury in time for next week’s derby with Sydney however Stephen Coniglio is set to play his first AFL game in 15 weeks.
“I think ‘Cogs’ will be good, he got through main training today, he felt really good, he’s had two games back (in the VFL) he looks ready to go so I’d expect to see him,” Kingsley said.
Stephen Coniglio kicks the ball during Greater Western Sydney’s clash against Hawthorn in round three, 2025. Picture: Getty Images
Young forward Max Gruzewski may get another opportunity in Hogan’s absence after kicking four goals in the VFL.
Despite rotating some of his charges, Kingsley is adamant complacency won’t be an issue for his team regardless of Essendon’s horror injury list and six-game losing streak.
“We certainly won’t be taking it lightly, we haven’t beaten them down there over the last two years, they’ve beaten us both times at Marvel. We’re fully aware irrespective of their injury list it’s going to be a hard-fought game and we need to treat it as such,” he said.
One man who is likely to deliver maximum intensity is Jake Stringer in what will be his first clash against his former side.
The 31-year-old is coming off his best game as a Giant with four goals against the Cats and is relishing the chance to come up against his old team.
“I feel in a really good spot at the minute, I pulled up really well from the game, probably the best I have from any game (this season), I don’t know if that’s because we have Essendon this week or not,” Stringer said.
Stringer’s form has been helped by a mini pre-season orchestrated by Kingsley, who opted not to bring him back after recovering from a hamstring strain against Geelong in round nine but rather train him hard to help set him up for the second half of the year.
Jake Stringer celebrates a goal during the R18 match between GWS and Geelong at Engie Stadium on July 12, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
The exciting forward was ready to come back earlier, but it was a decision taken out of his hands.
“Have you seen the size of ‘Kingers’? It wasn’t much of a conversation, I’ll tell you that,” he said.
Toby Bedford was spared a tagging role against Geelong but Kingsley hinted he may well go to Bombers skipper Zach Merrett, who will be without the support of Jye Caldwell, Nic Martin, Darcy Parish or Will Setterfield through injury.
The Essendon encounter is the first of three fixtures in a row on a Thursday or Friday night for the Giants as they aim for a fifth win a row in the intense battle to lock away a finals spot.
