GWS coach Adam Kingsley says he will be in for an unusual experience when he coaches against his former Tigers for the first time on Sunday.
Kingsley, who was senior assistant coach to Damien Hardwick at Richmond before he took the Giants job, said the situation would be “interesting come game day” as he goes to battle with players and coaching staff he still remains in touch with.
He said he had been looking forward to locking horns with Hardwick, but the shock resignation of his Port Adelaide premiership teammate last week had scuppered his plans.
“I was (looking forward to it), yeah – he kind of ruined that,” Kingsley said.
“Obviously, we have a close relationship, having played together and now coaching for him the last four years, so I was looking forward to it, but it isn’t to be.
“Andrew McQualter is also a good friend, so that will be a good challenge for us.”
Kingsley said the inside knowledge from his four years at Punt Road could give the Giants an edge as they look to carry on the momentum from their victory over Geelong, which has kept them within two games of the top eight.
“Clearly (I have) a lot of fond memories of Tigerland and most of those players are still there, so it will be interesting come game day, but once the game has started, it will be firmly onto my job and what I need to do to get our guys over the line,” Kingsley said.
“It could be (an advantage) – I certainly understand how they’re going to play.”
The thrilling seven-point win in Geelong was “great reward for effort” after several close losses, Kingsley said.
“We’ve been competitive without necessarily getting the results that we want, so to be able to finish on the right side of the ledger in this game was really great,” he said.
“It’s given us a little bit of a boost, there’s no doubt about that – a bit of energy around the group, a bit of excitement.”
He said Harry Himmelberg was looking “really good” as he exited the concussion protocols ahead of Sunday’s game, while he thought the Giants would be “quite friendly” towards their former teammate Tim Taranto.
The 25-year-old has enjoyed a superb first season at Richmond, averaging 31 disposals, seven clearances and seven tackles and is coming off a four-goal haul against Port Adelaide last week.
“Well, hopefully (there is) not a performance out of him like last week, that was a pretty special game,” Kingsley said.
“I’d imagine the crowd will try and put him off and show their support for our players, as they should.
“He’s a high quality player, been in really good form for the Tigers all year really … he’s one player that we have to make sure we contain so that they don’t get on top of us.”