The Giants will line-up on Saturday afternoon in the last game of a 10-year, $23 million deal with the ACT government which sealed Manuka Oval hosting rights.

The partnership saw three Giants' home games a year held in the ACT until the COVID-19 pandemic, where only two games were played at Manuka Oval between 2020-21.

This year, four Canberra dates were included on the AFL fixture - the most in a season since the start of the deal - and the Giants' AFLW team will also host the Brisbane Lions at Manuka Oval in the first weekend of September.

While the Giants' AFL form in Canberra has been strong in the past, going undefeated at Manuka Oval between 2016-18, recently it hasn't been a happy hunting ground.

Currently the Giants are riding a six-game losing streak in the capital, and sit third-last on the AFL ladder after a horror season.

Coming up against sixth-placed Fremantle is going to be a tough finale, but the game may be pivotal as the ACT government considers the price-tag and term of a new agreement to keep the Giants coming to Canberra.

AFL great Dermott Brereton believes there is immense value in the Giants visiting Manuka Oval, especially with cross-code competition from rugby league since the Canberra Raiders were founded in 1982.

"Canberra has been quite a fertile breeding ground," he told The Canberra Times. "Even when I was a kid I remember seeing the players that came through from there and you can even go back to Alex Jesaulenko.

"The contribution that Canberra has made is enormous. The Raiders took the mantle there for quite some time for young sportsmen who were aspiring to play football."

The Giants were unable to provide an update on Monday, but it's understood negotiations with the ACT government are close to being complete.

Brererton said cementing the adoration of potentially disenchanted Canberra-based Giants fans with a win over Fremantle should be an extra source of motivation for GWS this weekend.

"It'd be important to them to perform well in Canberra so that the locals re-fall in love with them - those that might have drifted from the game in the last 30 years, to make sure that they re-establish their links with Australian rules football," Brereton said.

"Performance makes it easier for people to see they are here for the long-haul, they do count us as part of their heartland, and this is a team which seriously wants to establish themselves here.

"Every time I've been to Canberra the Giants are well supported and well-loved by the footballing community."

GWS showed positive signs in their five-point defeat to the Bulldogs last week. Brereton said victory on Saturday would make a statement for next year and help the side build momentum into pre-season.

"They haven't had a great season, but what can be rectified is cultural right now - the ability to always strive to be the best that they can," he said.

"Spike McVeigh's coaching has got them moving the ball quicker - getting the ball in, high activity, high motion. It's enjoyable to watch it and they defended better too."

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