The GWS Giants still don't know who their full-time head coach will be next season, but Canberra product Tom Green believes caretaker Mark McVeigh has done everything in his power to prove he belongs there long-term.
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McVeigh and the Giants are aiming to end their dismal season on a high at Manuka Oval on Saturday afternoon against Fremantle, and a win could help keep McVeigh at the helm.
It hasn't been the easiest start to head coaching for 'Spike' McVeigh, the Giants winning just four of 12 games since Leon Cameron's exit in May.
There have been signs of improvement, though, and Green said McVeigh had made the most of his stint as head coach.
"To be honest, I don't really see what more he could have done," the Giants midfielder said.
"He's done as good as job as he could have hoped to, and I think he's put his best foot forward. Obviously we'll wait and see what happens with the coaching at the end of the year, but I think he's done as well as he could have. We'll just wait and see how it plays out."
McVeigh told media this week he was expecting the Giants to make a call on the head coach role after this weekend.
Melbourne assistant coach Adem Yze and Richmond assistant Adam Kingsley were reportedly his top two rivals for the job, with Alastair Clarkson ruled out of the race having been snapped up by North Melbourne.
Green said McVeigh's greatest attribute as coach was how deeply he cared for his players, even though his honesty could be brutal at times.
"I'm sure if you would ask any other player on our list what Spike does best, it's his genuine love and care for every individual is massive," Green said.
"Not that other coaches don't do it, but that's Spike's real separating point. He can be really harsh sometimes, but that's because he cares about us, and he wants to see us succeed and do well. That's something that I really, really appreciate."
Green has been on the receiving end of McVeigh's criticism, dropped in round 19 due to a form slump. But the 21-year-old said he needed the wake-up call.
"I had a really good discussion with Spike and my line coaches like Amon Buchanan and I think that they had it in the works for a few weeks that they were potentially going to do that," Green said.
"Looking back on that, I was feeling quite tired. My form dropped slightly and you could probably see on the field, I was looking a bit sluggish.
"That week has really helped me ... in the weeks since then I've been back to playing some pretty good footy and felt a lot better on the field.
"Sometimes the coaches know what's best and it's ended up helping me a lot. So I think it was the right call."
Following a humbling defeat to their cross-town rivals the Swans in round 20 three weeks ago, McVeigh also gave a very public dressing down of the team's effort.
That also seems to have reignited some motivation to finish the year strongly and build momentum into next season, with their five-point loss against the Bulldogs last week one of their better recent performances.
Green said the Giants wanted to keep that form rolling by ruining Fremantle's top-four hopes on Saturday in the capital.
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"Next year we fully expect to be back in the hunt for finals," Green said.
"It's the last game of the year, and we can't make finals, so what is there to play for?
"If you look at our list, there's still some absolute quality there. We haven't had a great year, and we completely understand and we own that. But steps that we can take in the back half of this year set us up really well for next year.
"If we can continue to implement this, get a good win to finish the year on the right note, it sets us up really well for a massive pre-season and a big 2023."
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