INSPIRATIONAL St Kilda skipper Nick Riewoldt can give defenders nightmares but that hasn't stopped Greater Western Sydney co-captain Phil Davis from throwing up his hand to take on one of the game's best on Sunday.

The Saints star has played the AFL's newest club twice since they entered the competition and has had a field day against the young Giants.

In round three, 2013, Riewoldt dragged in nine marks from 18 possessions, and kicked three goals in St Kilda's 72-point thrashing of GWS at StarTrack Oval in Canberra.

Last season the Saints' running machine was even more dominant in a much closer match. On his way to a fifth All Australian jumper, the skipper had 24 touches, took 14 marks and booted five goals in a tight seven point win in round two at Etihad Stadium.

The two sides meet again at the same venue to kick off 2015, and Davis wants first crack at the six-time St Kilda club champion.

"I asked Leon if I could play on him, so we'll see which way it goes down. But I think we've got a lot of great options. It's a huge challenge," Davis told AFL.com.au.

The captain-on-captain match-up might be a mouth-watering contest on paper but in reality, if Davis is to curb Riewoldt's influence, he'll need a giant amount of assistance.

"He's been one of the greatest centre half-forwards in the last 25 years, so to beat him you need a lot of help from the midfield," Davis said.

"He's very smart and a really tough player to match up on, so you need multiple players to be able to play on him at different times because he works so hard and gets to so many dangerous spots. It's hard to keep up."

Although the Giants' onballers will have a key role to play in 'Operation Negate Nick', a recent arrival at GWS will be equally important.

Newly acquired dual Brisbane Lions club champion Joel Patfull will be one of Davis' biggest allies inside the Giants' defensive fifty.

The former Port Adelaide rookie played 182 games for the Lions, winning the club's 2012 and 2013 best and fairest awards.
 
Patfull finished third behind Tom Rockliff and Dayne Zorko in last year's count and is one of the best intercept marking players in the competition.

"He's been a massive inclusion for us. From my point of view being selfish, he's been great for me. He's really helped me out and taught me a few things and on game day as well. He's been terrific," Davis said.

Patfull says he's ready to reacquaint himself with one of St Kilda's most revered champions if needed, but just like Davis, the former Lion believes every Giant on the field must contribute.

"I've played on him a bit in the past and had some mixed results. It's always interesting playing on such a great player," Patfull told AFL.com.au.

"We'll go into the game with a team defensive approach, and obviously he's one of their key weapons. So we'll be looking to keep him quiet."

"If there's ... pressure through the midfield, it makes it harder for him. If he's getting bullets kicked at him all day, it's going to be pretty hard to stop him."