Jesse Hogan and Lachie Whitfield have starred in their first game of the year, sparking the GWS Giants to their third win of the season.
After joining the club with his career on life-support during the off-season, Hogan finished with four goals in the Giants' 15. 16. (106) to 4. 15. (39) win over the Adelaide Crows.
Hogan added 15 disposals and five marks to his four majors, while Whitfield finished with 30 disposals and eight marks in the win.
It was a triumphant return to AFL football for Hogan, whose career has been derailed by a number of off-field issues over the last couple of seasons.
"He looks like he's a happy man," Kangaroos great David King noted on Fox Footy's coverage.
"You can see his teammates are feeding off his goodwill and good nature, he's a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. He's important for them no doubt."
The win continued what has been a resurgence of sorts for the Giants after starting the season in an 0-3 hole with their captain sidelined for a lengthy period.
After that Fremantle game where we felt a bit embarrassed by our hunt on the ball and our running from the contest, we nailed down some areas that were really controllable and from then on we've actually played really good football," Whitfield told Fox Footy after the win.
"It probably doesn't show in the wins and losses at the moment, but the processes are going really well.
"I trust these boys and I think we've got a lot of really good young talent. It was a just a matter of time until we put it together."
Whitfield and Hogan were ably assisted by the Giants' midfield duo of Tim Taranto and Josh Kelly, who added 35 and 27 disposals, respectively, while Harry Himmelberg was dangerous up forward with three goals.
It was a disappointing afternoon for the Adelaide Crows, who have begun to slide in recent weeks following an impressive start to the season.
The Giants will aim to take their good form into next week when they return home to face Essendon, while the Crows will have a stiff-task against their cross-town rivals Port Adelaide in the 'Showdown'.
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