Pretty sure all instances of 'ghost reach' was ironed out years ago, what you're referring to may just be latency in hit detection or for whatever reason some visual imprecision between models and hit boxes.
@OP,
Great swords were specialized stabbers designed to pierce heavily armored opponents. This was their primary battlefield function, a sort of awlpike-sword hybrid (with the cutting edge primarily to cut spears and pikes). If the stabbing animation was changed at least it shouldn't be changed to half-swording only which wouldn't adequately represent the weapon type.
Having this long-reaching thrust is also not unrealistic for the weapon class (like abovementioned awlpike with base instead of center grip), the main problem I ever saw with it was the speed, how the animations could be abused, either by dragging stabs, lolfeints (often through the ground) and point blank instastabbing - which to some degree have actually been improved a lot during the course of the last six months or so (a time where few if any of the people who complain about the 'OP lolswords' as far as I can see have played with any themselves, usually they used them back when they were truly overpowered), thanks to the cRPG developers.
Like last time I'll probably get a lot of biased minuses from class lobbyists for reporting this for some reason, but I never do effective facehug distance stabs against medium+ armored enemies with my DGS anymore due to glancing (it may be that some experience it with the shorter bastard or longsword that has way more room to maneuver) but if you disagree then please demonstrate it in a video or in images, to backup your statements, because I have used great swords for many years and I've always been aware of the problems connected with these weapons (major opponent of lolstabbing and the then current great swords in my TW post history) besides the obvious high tier weapon class of 2handed swords, but though still far from perfect (just like polearm stabs which also has its problems), I've only seen these problems decrease as of the many latest changes in mechanics.