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Giants coach Kevin Sheedy and Israel Folau take the stage during the Greater Western Sydney unveiling of its club name and colours at the Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney. Slattery Images
The AFL’s 18th club will be known as the Greater Western Sydney Giants and wear orange and charcoal jumpers after an official unveiling last night. A logo and major sponsor were also revealed. The biggest talking points would have to be the name and the look of the jumpers.
For one thing, it was interesting to hear that the “GWS” moniker will stay. It’s the AFL’s intention to cast their net as far and wide as possible, and there’s certainly a lot of logic in doing that, however it has to be asked whether the locals actually identify with GWS.
After all, not that long ago, even Western Sydney was considered to be pushing it. Perhaps the alternatives just didn’t offer enough.
Then, of course, there’s also the fact Greater Western Sydney is a bit of a mouthful, especially when its six syllables are to be followed by a nickname.
The Giants component of the name, for what it’s worth, would appear to be easier to accept.
It already has its detractors, sure. But while Giants is indeed yet another name transplanted from American sports, the good news is that the name ends in an ‘s’ – unlike certain other recent additions to our sporting landscape.
Then there’s the jumpers, which should cause plenty of debate. It should be pointed out, firstly, that a vote is taking place to see which one the team should wear and the colours may, apparently, change before the team’s AFL debut.
A harsh critic would say neither are worthy. The choice of charcoal instead of black seems a tad odd, and you can also ask what the connection is between the colours and the region. Plus, the ‘G’ logo so prominently displayed on both jumpers seems to lack imagination.
But they may grow on us. Certainly, from a personal perspective, I don’t mind the use of orange one bit, considering that no other AFL club uses it and also how effective it is for a number of colleges in the United States (see Texas, Tennessee et al) not to mention the Netherlands’ national soccer team.
And hey, looking through some of the early reactions online, there are a few out there who do seem quite pleased with one or both of the jumpers.
The logo is the same as on the jumper, with (for obvious reasons) Greater Western Sydney Giants written next to it. Just as it does on the jumper, the ‘G’ doesn’t immediately strike as all that impressive.
I, for one, would be keen to know if there is any significance behind that particular design.
All in all, last night’s announcements were a tad underwhelming. But, given time, we might all simply get used to the “look” of the Giants.
The Giants’ unveiling didn’t offer as much hope and optimism as the launch of the Gold Coast Suns earlier this year but, just like after the Suns’ launch, it would be fitting right now to point out that things could have been worse.