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GWS captain Phil Davis is disappointed in every aspect of a shocking loss to Hawthorn but has vowed the club will bounce back in his 150th AFL match.
Captain Phil Davis has faith GWS will prove their shambolic AFL loss to Hawthorn was an aberration, admitting he failed to lead from the front at the MCG.
GWS board member Jimmy Bartel described the Giants' 33-point defeat as the "worst performance" in club history.
Davis, who will play his 150th match when GWS host Carlton at Giants Stadium on Sunday, suggested every aspect of the round eight loss was unsatisfactory - including his own performance.
"I was disappointed that I didn't lead the team as well as I would have liked. I thought my performance was disappointing," Davis told reporters on Tuesday.
"As a leader, I've got to be better than that.
"It was great to be back out there (and return from an ankle injury), it's important to play well as a leader and I''m looking forward to making amends this weekend."
Davis' message to teammates after the capitulation was simple.
"That's not what we are about," they key defender said.
"And how do we get back ... for me and our whole leadership group, it's about saying 'let's get back to our best footy, it's there, let's find it and bring it back this week'.
"It's about our preparation, desire to improve.
"But it's also a lot of faith. I've got a lot of faith in the playing group, I'm very proud of them as individuals and collectively - you look at some of our performances this year and they've been terrific."
GWS remain the only team to defeat ladder-leading flag favourites Geelong this season, underlining why they are regarded as premiership contenders.
But the gap between their best and worst performances in 2019 is immense.
Coach Leon Cameron could be tempted to make wholesale changes this week, especially with Lachie Whitfield, Shane Mumford and Brett Deledio all in the mix to return from injury.
The Giants' NEAFL outfit had a bye during the previous weekend, meaning Deledio is yet to play since recovering from the latest in a series of calf injuries.
"I've got full faith if he comes in the team," Davis said of Deledio.
Reflecting on his own milestone, Davis admitted he was a "relatively naive and inexperienced leader" when he was appointed co-captain of the expansion club for their maiden season in 2012.
"As you generally are at 20," he said.
"I've grown and learnt a lot of things and I think I've become more mature, more well-rounded. Still got a long way to go, still got plenty of flaws."
