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Melbourne vs GWS Giants Tips - Demons face a Giant task in bid to open up 2025 with a win

Adam Cusworth

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Last updated: 13 Mar 2025

Adam Cusworth 13 Mar 2025

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Melbourne vs. GWS Giants to meet in AFL Round 1 at the MCG.
Melbourne adds Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca, seeking a stronger season start.
GWS Giants come off a dominant victory over Collingwood, highlighting their strong form.

Expired

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 27: Finn Callaghan of the Giants handballs under pressure from Alex Neal-Bullen of the Demons during the round 20 AFL match between Melbourne Demons and Greater Western Sydney Giants at Melbourne Cricket Ground, on July 27, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

Melbourne vs GWS Giants Preview
Head to Head
Melbourne Form Analysis
Melbourne Team News
Melbourne Team List
GWS Giants Form Analysis
GWS Giants Team News
GWS Giants Team List

Melbourne vs GWS Giants Preview

Melbourne take on GWS Giants in the Round 1 of the AFL season on Sunday afternoon at MCG in Melbourne.

The two sides come off contrasting 2024 seasons with Melbourne slumping to 14th last year with 11 home and away wins, while the Giants qualified in 4th position with 14 wins before crashing out of the finals in straight sets.

The Demons will be bolstered by the returns of Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca after that star duo missed large chunks of 2024 due to injury.

Max Gawn shapes as a matchwinner for the home side in the likely absence of the GWS ruckman, Kieran Briggs. But the Giants have shown they have the depth to handle injuries to key players and were able to do the job over Collingwood in the Opening Round to the tune of 52 points.

The Giants ranked 3rd in the competition for contested disposals in 2024 and 2nd for disposals, while they were 6th for goals. Melbourne ranked 14th for goals scored and this is a concern heading into the opener.

GWS have won eight of their past nine home and away matches, Melbourne have lost five of their past six
The Giants have won three of the past four matches against Melbourne
Josh Kelly has averaged 31 disposals the last two times he has played against the Demons and comes off 36 disposals last weekend.
Toby Greene has booted eight goals in his past three matches against GWS.

Head to Head

Melbourne and GWS have had a number of close matches in recent times. The Giants have won the past two matches between the two sides by two points, including the Round 20, 2024 MCG encoutner. The Giants have won three of the past four matches at the MCG.

Josh Kelly has averaged 29 disposals in his past three matches against Melbourne, while Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver average 31 and 28 disposals respectively in their last three against the Giants.

Since the Giants entered the competition in 2012, the ledger is square at nine wins apiece in matches between the two sides.

Melbourne Form Analysis

Melbourne appear for the first time this season and will be looking to make amends after a 2024 campaign that saw them finish 14th with an 11-12 win-loss record. Their off-season was marred by a bit of turmoil with trade speculation around Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver.

Those two appeared to be back to their best in Melbourne’s Community Series match against the Fremantle Dockers, combining for 61 disposals in the 19 point loss. Simon Goodwin’s side come in with a new look forward line and need to improve after lacking potency in this area last year. Steven May and Jake Lever will combine at the other end to maintain a robust defense- the Demons conceeded the 5th fewest goals in 2024.

Harry Petty looks set to return to the backline, while emerging talls in Jacob van Rooyen and Daniel Turner will look to aim to address 2024’s weaknesses inside 50m. Melbourne’s talent suggests a rebound is possible, but cohesion and forward efficiency remain question marks.

Melbourne Team News

First-round draft picks, Harvey Langford and Xavier Lindsay, are set for Round 1 debuts and may start forward. Koltyn Tholstrup, Judd McVee, and Shane McAdam are out long-term, while Kysaiah Pickett is suspended for the first three rounds. Matthew Jefferson, Aidan Johnson, and Harry Sharp are all in the mix for early-season opportunities.

Melbourne Team List

B: H.Petty, S.May, C.Salem

HB: B.Howes, J.Lever, J.Bowey

C: E.Langdon, C.Petracca, C.Windsor

HF: J.Viney, D.Turner, T.Sparrow

F: B.Fritsch, J.van Rooyen, K.Chandler

FOLL: M.Gawn - C, C.Oliver, T.Rivers

I/C (FROM): J.Billings, H.Langford, X.Lindsay, M.Jefferson, A.Johnson, J.Henderson, H.Sharp, T.McDonald

GWS Giants Form Analysis

GWS are one of four sides to have featured in the Opening Round and delivered a commanding 52-point victory over Collingwood at ENGIE Stadium, finishing with a score of 15.14 (104) to Collingwood’s 6.16 (52). The Giants’ defense stifled the Pies in the second half, holding them to two goals, while Finn Callaghan excelled with 33 disposals, 2 goals, and 730 metres gained. Josh Kelly had 36 disposals, while Toby Bedford neutralized Nick Daicos. He might be the man to line up on Clayton Oliver in the middle. GWS were able to do the job without Jesse Hogan and Tom Green.

The Giants come off a strong 2024 season under coach Adam Kingsley, finishing 4th on the ladder with 15 wins from 23 home-and-away matches and should be hungry after their campaign ended with straight-sets finals exits against Sydney and Brisbane.

GWS Giants Team News

Kieran Briggs will miss for GWS adding to a lengthy injury list. Lachie Keefe and young forward Max Gruzewski will share the ruck duties. Jake Stringer, Tom Green and Jesse Hogan will be remaining on the sidelines through injury, while Toby McMullin and Jake Riccardi are among four players on suspension until Round 3.

GWS Giants Team List

B: C.Idun, S.Taylor, H.Himmelberg

HB: L.Whitfield, J.Buckley, L.Ash

C: J.Kelly, T.Green, S.Coniglio

HF: X.O’Halloran, T.Greene - C, B.Daniels

F: D.Jones, A.Cadman, M.Gruzewski

FOLL: L.Keeffe, T.Bedford, F.Callaghan

I/C (FROM): C.Brown, C.Ward, C.Stone, J.Leake, C.Angove, L.Aleer, O.Hannaford, J.Wehr

Verdict

Melbourne v Greater Western Sydney

Giants to continue perfect start to season with Josh Kelly and Toby Greene in the thick of the action

GWS Giants

Head to Head

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