GWS Giants v Hawthorn AFL tips, odds & multi – Round 5, 2023

Norwood Oval comes alive this Sunday as the Greater Western Sydney Giants face the Hawthorn Hawks in round five of the 2023 AFL Premiership. The Giants make their way to South Australia after missing a golden opportunity to claim victory over the Bombers, while the Hawks come into Gather Round having been blown out of the water by last year’s premiers.

It’s a big week for Adam Kingsley and his men from Greater Western Sydney. The past three rounds have been a case of so close, yet so far. It’s hard to pinpoint where the Giants have gone wrong; they have a good team, with a decent mix of wise older players and youthful exuberance. But too much is being left to too few.

This is most blatant when you look at their forward line from last week. You got the game you’d expect from Toby Greene, and even ‘Mr Inconsistent’ Harry Himmelberg chipped in for a few goals. But there wasn’t much else happening forward of the ball for the GWS Giants.

Kingsley realises this week is a perfect opportunity to put a win on the board, but he will need to shake things up in the forward line if they are to get the job done. This might be the week they release last year’s number one pick, Aaron Cadman, on to the field. But even if they don’t, logic would state that the Giants will be far too strong for the Hawks ($1.42).

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Easter Monday was an ugly day to be Hawthorn supporter. Their loss to the Cats made their record 1-3 for the season, with all three losses so far being above 50 points. It’s going to be a long year for Sam Mitchell and the Hawks, but at least this week they can look forward to a challenge closer to their level.

What hurt Hawthorn last week, and will most likely hurt them again this week, is they haven’t got one player who can go and get the ball on a consistent basis. So this week the Hawks will have to rely on efficiency inside of their forward 50 to post a significant total against their opponent.

One such player who can help with that efficiency is silky forward Chad Wingard. Coming back from injury last round, the former Port Adelaide star played the roll of a handy sub and instantly made impact by assisting in a goal. What Hawks fans love about him is that he can kick plenty of goals as well. Look for Mitchell to elevate Wingard from the sub role this week, giving him a whole game to find the big sticks at least once ($1.38).

The Hawks struggle in their midfield, particularly against top-tier talent. The Giants have plenty of elite on-ballers that can propel them forward with ease.

Josh Kelly is the type of player who smells blood in the water against less-experienced opposition. It doesn’t help his opponents that he is one of the most skilful ball-accumulators the modern game has seen. Now that the Giants have found a new contested bull in Tom Green, its means Kelly can now have free reign of the paddock. This weekend, Kelly will have the ball on a string as he gets at least 30 disposals ($2.08).

Key matchup: Tom Green v Jai Newcombe

Tom Green vs Jai Newcombe

The Giants already had an elite midfield before Tom Green arrived on the scene. But now they are an imposing sight, as the young bull racks up disposals and makes life easier for his teammates to get the ball out of the middle. So far this season, Green is averaging 33 disposals per game, and he is a big reason why the Giants have been competitive in their losses.

Jai Newcombe can be that player for the Hawks. Newcombe had a rough game against the Cats on Easter Monday, a far cry from his heroics the previous year. There is no doubt that the young Hawk was dissatisfied with his effort and will look to improve this week. If he can shut down Green, or find more of the ball, he might just keep the Hawks competitive this Sunday.

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