A GIANT year for the team from the west

By Alison Zell

As temperatures soared past 40 degrees in Sydney on Friday, the young GWS GIANTS team were still tearing up the training track at Moore Park as they gear up for their second season in the AFL.

Just twelve months ago Kevin Sheedy was in charge of a team where the majority of players were just out of school and yet to play a single game of senior AFL.

A year later, with the addition of some experienced players and the top three draft picks in the country for the second year in a row, Sheedy’s side is ready to make some giant improvements in 2013.

“There’s maybe half a dozen players that on reading their attitude and the way their measurements have performed, have blown a few of the coaching staff out of the water,” Sheedy said.

“They’ve gone from a few games to ‘Look at me!’

“When you see that, that’s quite exciting for the coaching staff because that actually inspires the coaching staff that we’re heading in the right direction.”

The GIANTS showed plenty of spirit and fight in their first season in the AFL but the reality was that they were a team of young kids, just finding their feet in the world of professional football.

Now they have almost two full pre-seasons under their belts and have matched up against the best in the AFL.

The GIANTS have had access to the best young players in the country the last two years and the exploits of ball-magnet Toby Greene and fellow youngster Devon Smith, who played 20 games in 2012, have proven their high draft pick status’ right.

“You never know what makes a good player until you get them out there and get them on the training track.

“And then you work at looking at saying; ‘Who really wants it? Who’s going to make it no matter what happens?’

“You’ll see that arise out of the depths of ‘Not sure’ to ‘I’m going for it’ and I think that’s the exciting part for experienced coaches like myself.”

While reluctant to name names, Sheedy does concede there have been some standouts, young and old, on the training track for the GIANTS so far this pre-season.

“I think Liam Sumner would be one who I think has impressed most of the coaches.

“And probably (Lachie) Plowman, our third pick, is looking pretty good. He’s starting to put his hand up already and he will probably take over a key back role.

“Setanta O’hAilpin has really trained well after a knee operation. It’s early days but he’s really putting his hand up and saying, ‘My career’s not over.’”

A month out from the NAB Cup, where the GIANTS will kick off their season with matches against the reigning Premiers and Carlton out at Blacktown International Sportspark before travelling to Canberra and Wagga Wagga, Sheedy is excited to take the game to the people of NSW.

“Essendon in Canberra, playing under lights will be a very different sort of game and James Hird is coming back to Canberra for the first time as a coach,” Sheedy said.

“When the Lions come to town at Wagga that will be very exciting and Wagga deserves that, Wagga and the surrounding districts of southern NSW have produced some of the greatest players.”

Looking ahead to the season-proper, in Sheedy’s last season as senior coach, the veteran’s goal is simply for improvement across the board, and to create a side built on hard work and effort.

“You have to really want to improve your score line, it’s no good being belted by some of the really good teams,” Sheedy said.

“You don’t really want to be the easy-beats in the AFL and if you are in the first year, then try and knock that out of the road in the second year.

“You’ve got to build that in the effort.”

The GIANTS are locked in a fierce battle with fellow-newbies, the Gold Coast Suns, before play has even resumed, with Sheedy issuing a challenge to the Suns; the first team to 10,000 members for 2013.

With the losing coach set to parade along their local beach in the opposition’s budgie smugglers, it’s a tight race, with the GIANTS on 7143 members, just 13 ahead of the Suns.

“I’ve got a need for bathers that I hopefully don’t have to have,” Sheedy said.

“Whether I need those Suns bathers or not, that’s the deal, we’re trying to get there and beat them in the membership race.”

In other news, the GIANTS have released their guernsey numbers for the 2013 season.

After a standout debut season, 19 year-old midfielder Toby Greene will now wear the popular number 4 jumper, previously worn by Israel Folau in 2012.

Fellow midfielders Devon Smith and Taylor Adams will also wear new numbers in 2013 with the pair donning numbers 10 and 11 respectively.

Number 10 was previously worn by Dean Brogan who will now wear number 50. Number 11 was previously worn by Chad Cornes who will now wear number 53.

Number one draft pick Lachie Whitfield will follow in the footsteps of GIANTS Assistant Coach and inaugural Co-Captain Luke Power, wearing the number six jumper for the club.

The number two draft pick Jono O’Rourke will wear the number 24 jumper, Lachie Plowman 30, Kristian Jaksch 34, Aidan Corr 35 and James Stewart 36.

Former Hawthorn premiership player Stephen Gilham will wear number 38 for the GIANTS and former Carlton defender Bret Thornton will wear 46.