JONATHON Patton continued his road to recovery from a knee reconstruction, kicking a goal and playing four quarters in Greater Western Sydney's intra-club match on Wednesday evening.
The 20-year-old was mobbed by his teammates after kicking the opening goal of the match inside the first minute of play.
It was the first full game Patton has played since the 2011 No.1 draft pick ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in last year's round three match against St Kilda.
"It was really pleasing to see Patton get through a full four quarters of football," GWS assistant coach Alan McConnell said.
"His touch was there or thereabouts. He stood under the ball pretty well a number of times and spilt the ball for his teammates. It was good to just see him get through the game at this point."
The Giants are in the enviable position of having Patton, last year's No.1 draft pick Tom Boyd, and All Australian Jeremy Cameron to structure their forward line around.
Boyd did not play in the practice match due to a slight niggle but will be available for selection in the Giants’ NAB Challenge matches.
The coaches ensured the team’s best forwards played against the best defenders throughout. But McConnell said a forward line of four talls including Cameron, Patton, Adam Tomlinson and a resting ruckman would not be used in the future.
Sam Frost matched up on Cameron throughout the night and McConnell said it was a good battle.
"Frost had the better of Cameron in the one-on-one duels in the first half with his superior leg speed. Jeremy had a better second half," McConnell said.
Experienced recruits Heath Shaw, Josh Hunt, Dylan Addison, and Shane Mumford were all prominent throughout. McConnell said the class of Shaw and Hunt stood out.
"In the second quarter when the game became an arm-wrestle, the experience of those guys, Shaw and Hunt, was really evident," McConnell said.
"Their ability to know when to drop off their men and work the angles was evident in the second quarter and their team dominated in terms of entries and shots on goal and most of that came because of the way we structured up and those guys organised the defence."
Adam Treloar, Stephen Coniglio, and Devon Smith were all outstanding running through the midfield.
"Our third-year players are the ones who we think have handled a pretty solid pre-season the best," McConnell said.
"That's Smith, Treloar, Coniglio, Cameron later in the game. They are the guys who have handled the preparation the best and in that sense it was probably no real surprise."
The only injury concern from the match was Dylan Shiel who will require a precautionary scan on his foot.
