He dusted Dustin Martin and proved more dangerous than Patrick Dangerfield.
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Now GWS Giants weapon Matt de Boer has set his sights on a third Brownlow medal winner in as many weeks as he prepares to shut down Fremantle Dockers superstar Nat Fyfe.
But Giants coach Leon Cameron says his key tagger will need to up the ante as de Boer prepares to lock horns with his former side Fremantle at Manuka Oval on Saturday.
Fyfe is returning to the Dockers line-up after missing the western derby with a concussion just as Giants co-captain Callan Ward was ruled out for the year with an anterior cruciate ligament tear.
It makes the midfield battle as crucial as any that have gone before it with the Giants' all-star crew determined to find another gear, just as de Boer will have to against one of the AFL's best midfielders.
Fyfe that won't be his only assignment - de Boer could well find himself on David Mundy, Michael Walters and young gun Andy Brayshaw. Then of course there is the outside running of Bradley Hill and Ed Langdon to contain.
Should Fremantle clean up their conversion rate in front of goal, this may just be one of de Boer's biggest tests of the year to date - but it is one a player at the top of his game will relish.
"Matty de Boer's greatest strength is his ability to play on two or three. People will talk about what he has done over the past month, but it's not just on one particular player," Cameron said.
"He played on [Tim] Kelly, he played on Dangerfield, he played on [Mitch] Duncan - they're all good quality players. Fremantle are no different. There's a number of players Matty will come up against, and that's the thing we like about it, he's really flexible.
"Not only does he play a really good defensive role at times, the thing I am really pleased with is he is getting a lot of the footy as well. He is averaging between that 15 and 20 possession mark, so he is also adding to our offence.
"He prepares to the nth degree, he is a true professional, there is a reason why we signed him up last week. He is loving playing his footy at the moment and he is on top of his game, there's nothing better to watch.
"He also understands last week is gone and he comes up against a huge challenge against his old team this week."
The Giants boast an 11-1 record in Canberra over the past four seasons and nine of those games have been played in front of crowds exceeding 10,000.
But Cameron maintains accounting for a side that "should have beaten" the reigning premiers a week ago if not for wasted opportunities on a ground they have developed into a fortress will be no mean feat.
Because seventh-placed Fremantle boast a pair of former Giants looking to make a statement against their former club in defender Nathan Wilson and ruckman Rory Lobb.
"Players come and go from clubs and they're determined to play well against their old team. There's a couple of those boys we come up against," Cameron said.
"Lobby has hopefully got to worry about Shane Mumford, Adam Tomlinson and the talls on our team as well. He marks the ball really well around the ground, his ruckwork is quality, he will be determined to do well, but equally so are our boys.
"We look forward to that clash."
AFL ROUND FIVE
Saturday: GWS Giants v Fremantle Dockers at Manuka Oval, 1.45pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.
Giants squad:
FB: 21 Matt Buntine, 15 Sam Taylor, 40 Adam Kennedy
HB: 1 Phil Davis, 19 Nick Haynes, 20 Adam Tomlinson
C: 29 Zac Williams, 24 Matt de Boer, 31 Jeremy Finalyson
HF: 50 Sam Reid, 18 Jeremy Cameron, 3 Stephen Coniglio
FF: 16 Brent Daniels, 27 Harry Himmelberg, 2 Jacob Hopper
R: 41 Shane Mumford, 22 Josh Kelly, 14 Tim Taranto
Int: 9 Jackson Hately, 38 Daniel Lloyd, 6 Lachie Whitfield, 23 Heath Shaw
Emerg: 13 Isaac Cumming, 25 Lachlan Keeffe, 26 Dawson Simpson, 34 Nick Shipley