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“Well, that will see the people of Western Sydney flock to Greater Western Sydney games.”
That was the quip of one anti-AFL type after seeing the result of the GWS game on Saturday.
Had he actually witnessed Richmond’s slaying of the Giants, he wouldn’t have said it… he wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from the hysterical laughter to get the words out.
Leon Cameron described it as tripe, and skipper Callan Ward said all the players were shattered. It was awful.
I’m sure it was embarrassing for those small band of faithful orange people who headed to Spotless Stadium.
I’ll be honest. I thought GWS were past this stage. Two losses in the past two rounds by 111 and 113. I get that even good teams have bad games and get belted, but the past two games have been of a standard which we were willing to excuse GWS of way back in season one. But really, not now.
And nor should their fans.
As Cameron said, they let their supporters down, before later adding, “I think they’ll come back because they’re really loyal. They’ve been through some hard times, like our players and like our football club, but they keep fronting up and they’ll be back in two weeks’ time [for the next home game against Essendon].”
And he’s right. They have been through worse times and they keep coming back, and many probably will be back for the Bombers’ game. But that small base isn’t going to grow any time in the near future if that’s what they are going to get.
If I was a kid, I wouldn’t want to be fronting up to school on a Monday morning, letting anyone know I was a GWS fan after they have been once again been bashed into submission.
I sincerely hope they can bounce back and put on an improved showing next week against Hawthorn, and then give their loyal and faithful supporters a little bit of something to be happy about the following week at home.
As I said I thought GWS were past this. The amazing win against the Swans in Round 1 and a comprehensive win over Melbourne in Round 3, coupled with close losses to St Kilda and the Dogs, and I thought the Giants could follow the script and be somewhere around where the Gold Coast were last season.
After all that’s what we kept hearing – that the Giants were where the Suns were 12 months earlier, and with their stockpile of high draft picks, they may even reach and surpass the Gold Coast within five years.
They wish.
Clearly the Giants have the talented kids, but the impact one G. Ablett Jnr has had on the Suns, and their youngsters, is immeasurable, and if there was another one like him playing at the Giants, then GWS might be on target for those early predictions. There isn’t, and I think it may be a few years yet before Giants reach the Suns.
If we look at the stats, they clearly tell us the Giants are at least a couple of years, or maybe even three years, behind the Suns.
Last year the Suns won eight games and lost 14, those losses by an average of 31, and no loss was worse than the 52-margin in the clash with Geelong.
I don’t think that is where the Giants are or will be by the end of 2014.
But go back a year to 2012 and the Gold Coast won three games and lost 19, those losses by an average of 53, and just one by over 100, although they also lost four by more than 90 points.
If we go back to 2011 though, the first season of the Suns, they also won three games, lost 19 by an average of 64, including three 100-plus losses and another 90-point defeat.
Compare those with the 2014 GWS Giants.
They have won two and lost seven, their average losing margin is 57 points, and already they have two triple-figure losses.
It is on target to be an improvement on 2013 however, where they won once and in their 21 losses their losing margin averaged 72 points. They lost five by more than 100 and another four by more than 80 points.
This too was an improvement on their debut season, when they won twice, but in 20 losses the average margin was 77 points, and they lost five games by more than 100 and three others by more than 90.
So while they continue to improve, and I have no doubt this is the strongest team they have put on the park in the club’s lifetime, they still have a long, long way to go.
As for pre-2012 predictions that they will be challenging for the flag five years after their birth? Personally I wouldn’t be taking short odds about that right now.
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