Despite finishing 18th and winning only two games in their debut season, another raft of high draft picks means the future is bright for Greater Western Sydney.
Unsurprisingly, the Giants have the youngest list in the competition, with an average age of 21 years and 173 days. Possessing such an inexperienced group, GWS will be aiming to avoid the ‘second year blues’ and simply improve on last year’s foundation.
Attacking the contested ball with ferocity was a key focus in 2012, and despite many of their players having immature bodies, they carried out the task commendably. Consistent four-quarter efforts largely eluded them, much like Gold Coast in their inaugural 2011 season. Only four of the Giants 20 losses were by 30 points or less, highlighting their inability to maintain intensity.
Realistically, there is still no chance that GWS can challenge for the top eight, with every win a bonus at the moment. However, with another pre-season under their belt, and four winnable home games against Port Adelaide, Western Bulldogs, Melbourne and Gold Coast, plus away games against Port Adelaide and Gold Coast, the Giaints could win up to four or five games in 2013.
With the talented list that GWS possess, there is a lot to like about the direction they are heading in.
Key Player: Lachie Whitfield
Taken as the first pick in the 2012 National Draft, Whitfield is a widely expected to become a genuine star of the competition. He boasts silky smooth skills by hand and foot on both sides of the body, has a remarkable ability to read the play and is super quick. He was dominant last season for the Dandenong Stingrays and appears to be more than capable of having an immediate impact at senior level.
Special skills combined with a mature head on young shoulders will complement fellow young-gun midfielders Tom Scully, Stephen Coniglio, Dom Tyson and Jonathan O’Rourke in 2013 and beyond.
Circle it on the calendar: Round five, Greater Western Sydney vs. Gold Coast
The Giants meet the Gold Coast Suns once again at Manuka Oval in Canberra, where the Giants recorded their first ever AFL victory. The rematch of the two newest AFL clubs will give supporters of the two clubs and the broader AFL public the opportunity to see how far they have come.
To see if the Giants have, as some journalists and other football commentators have predicted, surpassed the Suns will be a major point of interest.
Prediction: 16th – 18th
It’s all about improvement for the Giants. With an overwhelming number of players that are still learning what it takes to succeed at AFL level, it is unlikely that GWS will be anything other than strugglers. Avoiding the wooden spoon would be a great achievement, but they appear to be the most likely to claim the dreaded title.
Ali Davies is a first year Law/Arts student majoring in journalism. You can follow her on Twitter: @_alidavies
