GWS are licking their wounds after star midfielder Tom Green went down with a suspected anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury on Friday, but midfield coach Ben Hart believes Jack Ough and Harry Rowston are ready to step up in Green's place.
The gun on-baller went down during the club's intra-club, and the Giants are fearing the worst, but hoping for the best.
"(While) changing direction and evading a tackle, he felt something in his left knee," GWS football boss Jason McCartney said.
However, despite the shock of potentially losing their best player for 2026, Hart believes there is a silver lining, and the pair of youngsters have proven their readiness to fill the void.
Rowston has played 17 games for the Giants, including 10 in the back half of 2025. Ough has yet to receive a debut, but showed strong form in the VFL last year after he was drafted with Pick 36 in 2024.
"Both those guys have been really strong," Hart said.
"I think we saw what Harry Rowston can do late last year. So he can build on the opportunity for him going forward.
"And Jack Ough is a big, strong midfielder, so if we happen to lose Tom, Jack is a ready-made replacement."
Finn Callaghan is also a watch, given he missed Friday's hitout.
"Finn got a little bit sore last week from training," Hart said.
"He's just being managed. And we'll build him back up when appropriate. We want to keep him around as long as we can in the side, so missing (Friday's intra-club) is no big deal."
Star recruit Clayton Oliver is set to manage a bigger load in the absence of Green, as well as Josh Kelly.
Captain Toby Greene has been spending time with the midfielders, with that positional switch even more likely given his namesake's injury.
"Hopefully it'll sway more midfield than forward," Hart said.
He's got some attributes. One being he reads the play really well. He's strong around that contest."
The return of Brent Daniels couldn't have come at a better time, with the speedy forward expected to be seen further up the ground.
Daniels played six games in 2025 due to a rare abdominal injury that required surgery.
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