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Giants not over-reliant on Hogan for goals: Kingsley

3 minute read

Brushing aside concerns of over-reliance, GWS coach Adam Kingsley won't tell his players to stop kicking to star goalkicker Jesse Hogan any time soon.

ADAM KINGSLEY.
ADAM KINGSLEY. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Adam Kingsley insists Greater Western Sydney aren't over-reliant on Jesse Hogan as the goalkicking ace closes in on a maiden Coleman Medal.

A six-goal haul from Hogan against his former club Fremantle helped the flag-chasing Giants post a nine-point win last time out.

The former Docker now leads the goalkicking table with 67 majors and has all but secured the Coleman Medal with rival Charlie Curnow, who has 57, ruled out with injury.

Hogan far outnumbers the hauls of his teammates with skipper Toby Greene second with 39 goals, followed by Jake Riccardi (26) and Aaron Cadman (24).

But the discrepancy doesn't concern Giants coach Kingsley, who says there are capable goalkickers everywhere in their line-up. It's just that Hogan keeps winning the ball.

Known for his prowess in the air, the 29-year-old also leads the league with 54 contested marks.

"Arguably, every time we kick him ball, he wins it so we're not going to stop kicking him the ball just to not be as reliant on him," Kingsley said on Friday.

"He's just in one of those patches of form that players find themselves through.

"Every time we kick him the ball, something seems to happen for us, whether it's him marking the ball or whether it's creating a spillage so we can score from that.

"There are times where we can potentially be too reliant but I think our balancing ahead of the ball is really strong."

Small forward Brent Daniels has emerged as an unlikely star alongside Hogan, leading the competition with 33 goal assists.

Daniels flaunted his quality against the Dockers and finished with 29 disposals, 13 tackles, seven clearances, three goals and three goal assists.

"We just encourage him to play to his strengths and put himself in positions where he can influence the game, which he's done superbly," Kingsley said.

"When the game's not going our way we'll shuffle the magnets, and he's one of those magnets that we can shift, whether it's in the midfield or whether it's deeper inside forward-50.

"He's one of the guys that we can go to who can usually provide a spark for us."

The Giants hit the road again to take on rivals Western Bulldogs at Ballarat's Mars Stadium on Sunday.

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