In the latest edition of Opposition Watch, Swans Media examines GWS ahead of Sydney Derby XVII at the SCG on Saturday night.

Recent form

The Giants are placed seventh after the opening five rounds of the season, with the AFL’s newest club having won three games and lost two.

GWS fell to Fremantle in a 24-point loss in Canberra last Saturday, with the ‘home’ side leading by four points at three-quarter time before conceding a six-goal-to-one final term.

But competition powerhouses Richmond and Geelong are both among the Giants’ 2019 scalps, and their 49-point victory over the Tigers in Round 3 was particularly impressive.

Ins and outs

GWS has named key defender Aidan Corr and small forward Toby Greene to both return for the cross-city clash.

Corr, who has featured in his club’s past three NEAFL fixtures, is set for his first senior game since Round 17 last season after overcoming a battle with groin soreness.

Greene (calf) will play his first AFL match since Round 2 this year, while Matt Buntine and Jackson Hately have made way.

Co-captain and key defender Phil Davis has been named in the away side’s 22-man outfit despite rolling his ankle in last week’s game against Fremantle.

The Sydney Swans' Callum Mills and the Giants' Toby Greene attack the footy.

Key match-up

Two damaging inside-outside midfielders will collide as the Giants’ Josh Kelly meets the Swans’ Zak Jones.

The two 24-year-olds can tolerate the rigours of congested footy, while their searing pace means they’re also invaluable on a wing.

With bullocking GWS midfielder Callan Ward ruled out with an ACL tear for the remainder of the season, Saturday’s game could see Kelly enjoy extra minutes on the inside of the contest, opening the door for Jones to run rampant on a wing.

Keep an eye on the Kelly-Jones battle as two of the most explosive players in the AFL go toe to toe.

Last time they met

GWS ended Sydney’s 2018 season when the two Harbour City clubs last squared off, powering to a 49-point win at the SCG in an elimination final.

Earlier in the season, the Swans had clinched a 16-point win over their arch-rival at the SCG in Round 3, before trumping the Giants by 20 points at Sydney Olympic Park in Round 22.

What they said

GWS coach Leon Cameron: “Phil Davis is progressing in the right manner but, as we’ve said all along, if we don’t think he’s not close to 100 per cent – and especially when you’re dealing with the quality forwards they have – we’ll make that change. But right now, he’s heading in the right direction. He’s been doing some running, he’s been some change of direction and he’s kicking the footy. It was a pretty nasty ankle roll and I thought he’d be out for a little while, but he’s progressed in a really good manner.”