GWS Coach Hints at Possible Return for Kieren Briggs
GWS coach Adam Kingsley has not confirmed whether ruckman Kieren Briggs will return to the senior side, but he has suggested that the player is a strong contender. Nick Madden has taken over as the Giants’ preferred big man in recent weeks, but his recent knee injury in Round 7 has opened the door for Briggs.
Briggs, who has been involved in trade discussions since his omission, is seen as a like-for-like replacement and was recently added to the squad alongside Harry Rowston, Joe Fonti, and Jake Riccardi.
“He’s a strong chance to get back in. He was very good in the VFL last week against North Melbourne,” said Kingsley. “That was pleasing, he feels like he’s in good form. We’ll discuss that at match committee, whether it’s him, whether we bring Jake Riccardi back and use him more in the ruck than we have in the past. We feel he has that athleticism to get around the ground so that could help us but we’ll have those discussions.”
Kingsley also mentioned that Jarrod Witts’ exclusion from Gold Coast’s lineup did not influence how the club approached selection decisions. The coach expressed disappointment with the recent AFL Draft rule changes, which make it harder for clubs to match bids for tied talent.
GWS has benefited the least from the previous academy rules among the four northern clubs and operates in a region of New South Wales that has historically been challenging for the AFL to convert into a competitive area.
“Clearly disappointed with the changes that have been made. We’re trying to develop talent to come out of Western Sydney and grow the game and tap into an untapped population of talented people and for us to continue to try and do that and yet now we need to pay a significantly higher price to do that is clearly disappointing but they’re the rules so we’ll move on,” Kingsley said.
“Part of the attraction for Western Sydney boys is they get to stay in their state. It keeps interstate boys in their home states too, which I think the fans enjoy.”
The 3-4 Giants recently overcame North Melbourne and are set to face a Gold Coast side that has struggled in recent weeks. However, Kingsley emphasized that the focus is on internal improvement rather than the opposition.
“You just have to become consistent and that’s what we aim to do with our game. It’s less about Gold Coast and more about us this week in terms of playing our way in terms of getting closer to the team we want to be,” Kingsley said.
“We took a big step forward last week but we feel we’ve been really good. I know we didn’t get the result against the Swans but we had really good moments in that game so we’re pleased where we’re heading.
“Obviously introducing guys returning from injury is great but it can present challenges with a little bit of touch and synergy so we’ll continue to build on that and hopefully take another step forward this week.”
