Slack off for five minutes against AFL heavyweights Geelong and you will be destroyed.
That’s the harsh reality Greater Western Sydney coach Leon Cameron believes his players will face in their biggest-ever match at Canberra’s Star Track Oval on Saturday.
Win, and the seventh-placed Giants set themselves up for a likely maiden finals campaign.
Lose, and they give the Cats a chance to stay in touch with the top eight.
“We all know it’s a huge game,” said Cameron on Friday.
“We know we’re going to have to play our best for 120 minutes.
“You switch off for five minutes here and there against Geelong and they will destroy you.
“We’re coming up against a real good, experienced team and that’s our challenge.”
The Giants are undefeated in two matches at the ground, which is expected to be close to a sell-out.
The Cats have twice played in the nation’s capital but lost both times against North Melbourne, their last dating back in 2006.
But, given his side has never beaten the Cats in three meetings, Cameron doesn’t see it as advantage.
“Geelong are such a mature and experienced side I don’t think they worry about where they play,” he said.
“We’d like to think we’re starting to build a good home ground record here, but time will tell tomorrow.”
While they boast key defender Joel Patfull back in their ranks following a four-week injury layoff, working against them is their accuracy in front of goal.
The hosts rank 18th in the league with a 46.1 strike-rate, while the Cats are the AFL’s best at 53.8 per cent.
The Cats are also coming off a narrow victory over the Western Bulldogs, which snapped a two-game losing streak, and welcome back skipper Joel Selwood from suspension.
While some question marks remain next to the future of a handful of ageing players in their set-up, including Steve Johnson, Cameron believes Chris Scott’s men still have a lot of quality football left in them.
“They’re proud players,” he said.
“I’m pretty sure when people walk away from the game tomorrow, they’re going to be thinking `Geelong are still there or thereabouts’. The mix of youth and senior players is very healthy.”
