GREATER Western Sydney notched a club record seventh win in an AFL season, but only sparkled sporadically in a 30-point home victory over a plucky injury-ravaged Brisbane Lions on Sunday.
The vastly understrength Lions competed well for most of the game, but the Giants slammed on four straight final-quarter goals to set up a 14.13 (97) to 10.7 (67) victory at Spotless Stadium.
The win lifted GWS into fourth ahead of Collingwood, who play on Monday.
Giants coach Leon Cameron said after the game that although it wasn't pretty, he was pleased with his side's response to last week's loss to the Western Bulldogs.
"Our actual ability to have that sort of scrap and fight, and win contested ball, when things aren’t going your way … that was the pleasing part of the game," Cameron said.
"It was an up and down game, but to come away with a five-goal win, from where we sit, is fantastic."
Jeremy Cameron kicked three goals for the Giants, with fellow tall forwards Cam McCarthy and James Stewart and midfielder Stephen Coniglio each booting two.
Rohan Bewick and Dayne Beams kicked three goals each for the Lions, with the latter adding 29 touches, two behind Lewis Taylor and Allen Christensen.
Giants co-captain Callan Ward tallied 32 touches and ruckman Shane Mumford rebounded from a rare off day last week by amassing 51 hit-outs.
The Lions held a four-point lead at the first change, defending in numbers and forcing the Giants to lay the equal most tackles in a quarter this season.
GWS took control with a six-goals-to-two second quarter that set up a 20-point half-time lead.
They swelled the buffer to 37 in the third quarter before the Lions kicked the last two goals of the term to be 26 behind at the final change.
The visitors closed to within 21 points early in the final term, but gave up four goals in a row as the Giants ended the contest.
Lions coach Justin Leppitsch paid tribute to his young side, which battled manfully despite the club's crippling injury list.
"The game could have blown out in the end, so there were some positives to take out," he said.
"We've got a really depleted list, a lot of first gamers, second gamers out there, but they were good. They gave a really competitive effort out there, so I was happy with that."
Full Injury List: Bupa Recovery Report
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 1.3 7.5 10.8 14.13 (97)
BRISBANE LIONS 2.1 4.3 6.6 10.7 (67)
GOALS
Greater Western Sydney: Cameron 3, Coniglio 2, McCarthy 2, Stewart 2, Treloar, Shiel, Ward, Whitfield, Griffen
Brisbane Lions: Bewick 3, Beams 3, Zorko 2, Robertson, Green
BEST
Greater Western Sydney: Ward, Mumford, Coniglio, Shiel, Bugg, Shaw
Brisbane Lions: Taylor, Paparone, Beams, Christensen, Hanley, Martin
INJURIES
Greater Western Sydney: Nil
Brisbane Lions: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
Greater Western Sydney: Toby Greene replaced by Will Hoskin-Elliott in the third quarter.
Brisbane Lions: Liam Dawson replaced Matthew Leuenberger in the third quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: O'Gorman, Findlay, Harris
Official crowd: 9079 at Spotless Stadium
