'Upwards from here': refreshed Giants ready to hunt

Adam Kingsley's Giants had been well off their best to start their hunt for a maiden premiership and suffered three straight defeats in their opening four matches.

The Giants languished outside the top 10 for 10 weeks as they struggled for consistency, with a revolving door of injured key players.

But GWS were able to turn their fortunes around, pulling off a spirited win over Melbourne to head into their round-13 bye sitting in the final wildcard spot with a 6-6 win-loss record.

Young midfield gun Harvey Thomas said the Giants were out to make the most of their mid-season restart.

"Not the start we were after when we look at our record and where we are," Thomas told AAP.

"But if we're looking at our last month before the break, the last two weeks in particular, we're able to string together more Giants style to the game.

"The break came at a nice time, but definitely looking forward to the second half of the year.

"We've definitely got a long way to go, but just that last month or last couple of weeks really drove the belief.

"We'll only look to go upwards from here, for sure."

St Kilda contributed to the Giants' early-season slump, claiming a four-point win at Engie Stadium in round two.

Ross Lyon's Saints kicked seven goals in a row from early in the first quarter, before withstanding a late challenge to beat the home side for the first time since round 10 in 2023.

St Kilda have since failed to kick into gear, sitting 12th (5-8) with a three-match losing streak.

The mid-season bye has often served as a turning point for the Giants, after their fairytale 2023 season.

The Giants turned around a 3-7 start in their first year under coach Kingsley, with a seven-match winning streak helping them reach finals in seventh place.

Last season the Giants went into their round-14 bye just outside the eighth with a 7-6 record, before finishing fifth (16-7).

"We're ready for a big second half of the year," Thomas said.

"That (round-two match) was a disappointing loss. Looking back to that game, we didn't play many quarters of footy that looked like a Giants game.

"We'll be looking to rectify that this time around."