The Giants midfielder who needs a game that “rips the heart” out of the Hawks

While Tom Green has been in solid form in 2024, the Giants need him to deliver this weekend.

That is according to David King who has implored the gun midfielder to get back to his best as a contested beast and carry GWS to victory against Hawthorn.

Green, 23, is averaging 28 disposals and 5.5 clearances (both second at the Giants), which are fairly strong numbers in isolation.

However, King is eager to see Green up his clearance numbers, which fell to three last time out against Geelong, and “rip the heart out” of the Hawks’ on-ball unit.

“A guy that’s going ok, just going ok, in a team that’s just going ok,” King said on SEN Breakfast when asked who he has in the gun.

“The GWS Giants are just going ok and I think they need a retrospective game from Tom Green.

“A game that just rips the heart out of the midfield of the Hawks, who are now flying. Jai Newcombe, Will Day, James Worpel, the contributors in there have been sensational.

“But the Giants need their bull back to that contested, ball-winning, clearance-separating, game-breaking mode. He’s going ok, he’s averaging (about) six (clearances) a week.

“I need a dozen clearances from him to just rip the heart out of the Hawks.”

Kane Cornes concurs, referencing a game he saw Green play against the Western Bulldogs last season when he had 38 touches, nine tackles, eight clearances and kicked three goals.

“There was a game last year where he kicked three against the Bulldogs and I was like, ‘This guy is emerging as one of the absolute superstars’,’ he said.

“He had 38 and kicked three and I thought, ‘Wow! Who is this guy?’.”

King continued: “He had three clearances last week.

“I just want to see him go bang. They need that, they need to get rolling.”

The Giants, who enter this fixture off a bye, meet the Hawks at UTAS Stadium in Launceston from 1:45pm AEST on Saturday.

The last time Green took on the Hawks, he had just 17 disposals and one clearance from 80 per cent game time.