Giants dealt massive injury blow to key player
7NEWS reporter Xander McGuire revealed the All-Australian suffered a broken toe during last week's win over Brisbane.
Taylor was able to play out the match, but is now expected to miss the next up to five weeks.
'A huge blow for GWS with All-Australian full-back Sam Taylor out for 4-5 weeks with a broken toe,' McGuire tweeted.
'He sustained the injury against Brisbane but played through the pain. He'll spend the next 2-3 weeks in a moon boot.'
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The blow comes just as the Giants recaptured their best form with the win over the Lions, which came after a shock loss to Port Adelaide in Canberra.
But now they will be without Taylor for matches against Gold Coast, West Coast, Geelong and Essendon over the next month.
Brent Daniels is also facing another stint on the sidelines after suffering an adductor tendon injury against the Lions.
The small forward, who has only managed six games, will undergo scans to determine his rehabilitation period.
Meanwhile, youngster Aaron Cadman knows his apprenticeship is over and feels he's ready to explode in the back half of the AFL season.
The 2022 No.1 draft pick lived up to his billing after his career-best haul of five goals and 13 marks helped steer the Giants to a comeback win over Brisbane.
His breakout performance - which included a speccy mark against Lions swingman Eric Hipwood - added to reigning Coleman medallist Jesse Hogan's haul of six goals and 12 marks.
The 21-year-old's slow burn to good form echoes the words of inaugural Giants coach Kevin Sheedy, who believes players only come of age at AFL level when they reach 50 games.
Set to chalk up the milestone against Gold Coast, Cadman agrees there is truth in Sheedy's declaration.
'I know that I can be, hopefully, one of the top players in the league,' Cadman said on Tuesday.
'This is my third year, so I've still got a lot of growing to do as a player, physically and mentally.
'I know they're saying your apprenticeship is over at 50 games once you're past 50, but I feel like I've still got a lot of room to grow.
'Obviously, big thanks to the coaching staff for giving me the opportunity in 50 games.
'Even picking me 50 times where I probably wouldn't have picked myself, and just having faith in me and knowing what I am capable of.' Aaron Cadman soars above Brisbane's Eric Hipwood to take one of 13 marks for the Giants. Credit: AAP
Cadman has long been touted as the man to lead the GWS forward line for years to come, after the Giants traded up to secure the top selection in the 2022 draft.
The left-footer managed just six goals from a dozen appearances in his 2023 debut season, before hitting new heights last year with 30 goals across 23 games.
GWS's faith is clear, but Cadman admitted it took time for him to shake off the expectations that come with being a top draft selection.
'I feel like in my first two years, that was something that weighed on me a little bit,' Cadman said.
'Now I know what I am capable of, and just continuing to show that at the end of the day, it doesn't matter where I was picked. '
Cadman credits Hogan as the man who has helped make him ready for what looms at AFL level.
A 17-year-old Hogan has faced similar expectations after being drafted to Melbourne with pick No.2 in the 2012 mini-draft.
'Me and Jesse can relate to each other a little bit,' Cadman said.
'Even on and off the field, just sharing his mistakes and helping me learn from those things has been super helpful for me.
'It's a great relationship we have down there. It's almost like half the time, we don't even have to say anything.'
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'We thought it'd be a little bit better than that, but he got a little bit of a knock early in the game, when he tried to launch, and it sort of flared up a little bit for him. He did his best to manage that, but it was a pretty tough night for him from a pain perspective.' Toby McMullin was subbed out in the second quarter with a suspected ankle syndesmosis injury.
