Shiel returns for GIANTS clash

Greater Western Sydney GIANT, Dylan Shiel will return to the side this week to take on the Queanbeyan Tigers at Blacktown Olympic Park on Saturday at 2pm.

Shiel has been one of the club’s top performers in 2011, but after narrowly escaping a serious knee injury against the Sydney Swans, he was forced onto the sidelines for the Brisbane Lions clash last week.

GIANTS reporter Beck Mills caught up with Shiel ahead of Saturday’s clash to see what the midfielder is doing to prepare for the game, what went through his mind when he was injured and how he coped with being the club’s runner last week.

So Dylan, how are you feeling ahead of Saturday’s match?

I’m feeling good, I’m feeling fresh and am really excited to get out there and play. Last week I was the team runner and being out there but not playing just really makes you want to get back out there in the guernsey.

What will be the teams main focus in the game against Queanbeyan?

The key focus for us this week is to play our own game and of course our main focus every week is to win. We need to put in the hard yards and stick to our own game style so that we can dictate Queanbeyan’s game.

What’s your personal focus?

My goal for each week is my running off the ball and my endurance. I’ll be looking to John Quinn for the GPS stats throughout the game to see how I go. I’ll also just try to do some of the hard stuff, I’ll have a look at my hard ball gets and personal KPI’s as long as I’m helping the team out.

You’re coming back from one week on the club’s injury list; can you talk us through what happened when you hurt your knee?

It was at a stoppage when Mark Seaby from the Sydney Swans Reserves tackled me and my knee went down awkwardly. I thought I’d done my ACL and we all thought I was in pretty serious trouble but luckily the scans showed up clear and after three days I bounced back really well.

What goes through your head as you go down thinking that you’ve got a serious injury?

As soon as it happened I thought my knee popped and I thought ‘well that’s it, my season’s over’. Then you look at guys like Tim Segrave and Adam Treloar who haven’t played a game yet you realise that you’re not worse off.

Does something like that help you appreciate what some of your injured teammates are going through?

It wakes you up a bit and makes you look at the guys that have missed the beginning of the season and even part of their seasons last year. It motivates you to get around them more and really do your rehab to get you back on top.

What sort of rehab did you do to prepare you for coming back into the side?

I did a lot of strength and balance work around my joint. I did a lot of work with our Physio Leroy Lobo and also did a lot of swimming. When you’re injured, you do more hours training than you would when you’re not injured.

Izzy did well last week when he was moved up forward in the second half, would you like to see him play a little more footy up there?

Yeah for sure, it was pretty exciting, seeing him leap for a few marks. He looked dangerous. He seemed to get a lot more of the ball up forward but he’s going to be an exciting player wherever he goes.

You were the team runner against Brisbane, was that a different feeling to being out there playing?

Yeah, it was a bit different. When I was running out there I was concentrating on delivering the right messages for the coaches. I didn’t want a spray from Choco or Sheeds or Handy if I didn’t deliver a message or messed up a rotation.

Were there any times that you just wanted to pick up the ball and kick it?

Definitely. It was around a stoppage, I had to call one of the boys off and I thought to myself ‘maybe I should just replace him’.

Will you be paying more attention to the runners in Saturday’s game now that you’ve been in their shoes?

Definitely will, I’ll be following everything they say.

Don’t miss seeing Dylan and the GIANTS in action at Blacktown Olympic Park on Saturday!

NEAFL ROUND 8
GWS GIANTS V Queanbeyan
Saturday May 21
Blacktown Olympic Park
Gates open 9:30am, Game starts 2pm

FREE entry for all GWS GIANTS Foundation Members upon presentation of your Foundation Member card.
Non-members: Adults $5, Juniors (under 15) Free.

TICKETS SOLD AT THE GATE