AFL: GWS Giants unsure whether to keep Harry Himmelberg in defence or send him forward as Nick Haynes returns

Greater Western Sydney has a giant Harry Himmelberg dilemma ahead of Saturday night’s clash with arch-rivals the Western Bulldogs. All-Australian defender Nick Haynes will return from illness after missing the past three matches, including playing in the VFL last weekend, after Himmelberg excelled in his new role down back in his absence. There will be multiple changes, with Harry Perryman (broken ribs) and Matt de Boer (concussion) already ruled out, with untried first-round draft pick Ryan Angwin and ruckman Braydon Preuss in the mix. Tim Taranto (back) and Phil Davis (hamstring) are both set to resume in the VFL, while Jacob Hopper (knee) won’t play at any level this weekend but could be in senior contention next week. Himmelberg capped his three-match backline stint with a career-high 37 disposals last week against the struggling Kangaroos, but may need to revert to his forward roots. Coach Mark McVeigh swung the 26-year-old into defence off his knowledge from working with him in his pre-AFL days as a teenager. “It makes it a difficult selection process for us and how we go about it,” McVeigh said. “We’ve got to take into account the opposition and what they can bring, so there will be a pretty robust match committee. “Do we reset Harry Himmelberg forward? Do we play him somewhere else? What does it look like? So, certainly, we’ve got some things to discuss.” McVeigh has made a number of positional and personnel changes since replacing Leon Cameron in the top job, including recalling forward-ruck Zach Sproule and sending in-form goalsneak James Peatling into attack. Peatling’s responded with three goals in each of the past three games to be one of the shining lights since McVeigh’s taken over. “He’s been terrific ... we know he’s a good small defender, but he can pressure up, he’s got high speed and he’s got a great goal sense,” the coach said. “Did I think he was going to kick nine goals in three weeks? No, I didn’t think that, but I did think he’d provide a lot of pressure and a lot of high energy there ... it’s been a really good reward for him.” Outside of the Sydney derby, the Bulldogs have become the Giants’ biggest rival, including facing off in two cutthroat finals where no love was lost. But McVeigh sent a none-too-subtle message to his players about where he wants their focus to be, especially given they view this contest as a gauge on where their form sits. “You can talk about some of the great games and there’s a bit of argy-bargy and physicality, which is fine, but it’s important we play the game that we want to play and absorb what that pressure looks like,” he said. “The respect we have for them is massive – their coaching staff, their coach (Luke Beveridge) and their players. We value how good they are, and they’d be looking to bounce back. “They’ve sort of had an indifferent year, but you know their best is good enough to beat any team in the competition.”