“I’ll slowly grind him down and I’ll get him.”
Sam Taylor is already excited for his next matchup with Sam Darcy after the honest Giants star conceded he got a “good lesson” from the Bulldogs “Goliath” on Thursday night.
It’s not often, if ever, you’d hear that. But Darcy and Aaron Naughton’s combined 10-goal haul ignited the Western Bulldogs’ 88-point domination over the Giants at Marvel Stadium.
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Indeed, it was a rare sight to see the Giants’ star-studded and usual stingy defence get picked apart. Even if it was largely a result of Adam Kingsley’s side getting smashed in contested possessions (-51) and clearances (-17) as the Giants’ back six, missing the injured Jack Buckley, was constantly put under the pump.
But Taylor, who’s seen by many as the best defender in the game, said he’d be prepared for next time he’s charged with the Darcy assignment after Thursday night marked his first time playing on the monstrous and one-of-a-kind 208cm forward.
“It was definitely a good lesson and I’ll take a lot out of it. I’m excited to play on him next time,” Taylor told foxfooty.com.au post-match.
“There’s a lot of things I want to do different, a lot of my positioning I’ll change up. He’s a Goliath, he reminds me of Buddy Franklin.
“I’ll slowly grind him down and I’ll get him.”
In fact, Taylor, who’s ranked No. 1 in the AFL for intercept marks and intercept possessions, didn’t a record a stat in either category until late in the third quarter as the All-Australian backman could barely get his hands on the ball at times.
The Darcy matchup has fast become arguably the hardest task in footy, with the 22-year old prodigy’s superstar rise taking the AFL world by storm in 2025.
We’ve never really seen an athlete like Darcy before in the code, which the 198cm Taylor noted posed several threats.
“It’s the first time I’ve played on him. Obviously his height makes him a unicorn — he’s 208cm and moves pretty good,” Taylor said.
“The other thing is he’s stronger than he looks, I didn’t think he would be that strong. You have to put in the work early, really early, to get the job done.
“And his reach is another 20cm on you and his mark on the lead is pretty special. I was (positioned) too back shoulder, I needed to be a bit more side on side.
“I’m excited for the next time we verse them.”
A candid Taylor echoed the sentiment of Stephen Coniglio and Kinglsey that the “embarrassing” loss to the Dogs was the worst in the Giants coach’s three-year tenure in a tough night for the club.
It snapped GWS’ six-game winning streak including an epic 79-point turnaround in last week’s Sydney Derby. The Giants also dropped over seven per cent, which could prove costly amid a tight run home as they look to retain their top eight spot ahead of clashes with North Melbourne, Gold Coast and St Kilda.
“That’s the worst performance we’ve had in the last three years. To put out that was just embarrassing,” Taylor said.
“We needed to show up much better. Especially after a good win last week, we wanted to get going and play with some flare. But we were just boring and did nothing right.
“Our contest wasn’t good enough. To go down by 51 in contested possessions is just unheard, you can’t be doing that. That’s probably the number one thing.
“And they just showed up a lot harder than us and wanted it more. We didn’t respond and didn’t do anything right. A frustrating game.
“But there’s still three important games we have coming up, we want to get wins and secure our finals spot. It’s in our hands, which is great. Hopefully this percentage loss won’t hurt us come September.”
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In addition to missing Buckley in defence, the Giants also lost Toby Greene (suspension) and Josh Kelly (injured) this week to set a taller task for Kingsley’s undermanned side at Marvel Stadium.
While Taylor acknowledged it “sucked” missing those stars, he said it’s “no excuse” for the performance they dished up.
“I think we have some of the best depth in the league. It wasn’t the fault of the players who came in. It was everyone’s fault, it was my fault, it was the leaders’ fault. We didn’t get the job done,” he said.
It meant Luke Beveridge’s men have now won nine of its last 10 meetings with the Giants’ poor record against their modern rivals continued.
Taylor put it down to the dominance of the Dogs’ loaded midfield, saying GWS’ riding brigade is still coming into its own.
“If I’m as honest as I can be, it’s probably their midfield smacking ours. Their contest is incredible. They seem to get the ball rolling and their hands are amazing,” the Giants star said.
“Guys like Marcus Bontempelli and Ed Richards, who’s gone to another level and is one of the top players in the league. Tom Liberatore is one of the best clearance players and Tim English’s workrate around the ground is second to none.
“We have two up and coming top-tier players in Tom Green in Finn Callaghan. We need to neutralise the midfield battle and they just got on top of us. To beat those guys you’ve got to nullify their midfield.”
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