100 games a Giant milestone for GWS

A key milestone in the history of the AFL’s newest club will take place on Sunday. GWS Giants will be playing their 100th AFL game.

The formation of the Giants was a courageous move by the AFL. It was done to expand the footprint of the game and set up a new club from scratch in the part of Australia in which the game has its lowest support.

It’s a move that has been well rewarded in the value of TV rights, which have nearly quadrupled since the Giants were founded. There has also been a far greater level of corporate sponsorship across the league with sponsors being given the opportunity for national exposure.

And the development of a new market has brought in new supporters and members. In numbers still modest by AFL standards, but up on the zero that would have been there had the Giants never been created.

The milestone match will be a local derby against the Swans, who were the Giants’ opponents in the first game. The venue will be Spotless Stadium, just a stone’s throw from ANZ Stadium, where the Giants made their AFL debut on 24th March 2012.

On that night in 2012, it was an inexperienced team, thrown in the deep end against the team that would go on to win the premiership that year. 17 of the 22 Giants players were making their AFL debut.

The history books will forever show that Callan Ward kicked the club’s first goal. But it was a tough opening for the Giants, who would kick just five goals for the night and go down by 63 points.

ANZ Stadium would be one of four home grounds for the Giants in their debut AFL season. Round 3 saw them play a one-off game at Blacktown International Sportspark, but they were no match for West Coast that day and went down by 81 points.

Three home games that season, and in every season since, were played at Manuka Oval. Canberra has been an important secondary market for the Giants, a significant cash injection and a source of memberships and support similar to what Hawthorn get from Tasmania.

And it was in Canberra that the Giants would achieve their first win. Taking on second-season team Gold Coast, the Giants pulled away in the final quarter to defeat the Suns by 27 points.

On 26th May 2012, after construction work and the Easter Show were long completed, the Giants made their first appearance at the Showgrounds, now known as Spotless Stadium.

It wasn’t a great night on the field for the Giants, who kicked themselves out of the contest with ten behinds before their first goal and lost to Essendon by 66 points.

The young Giants would win a second game in 2012. It was inaugural coach Kevin Sheedy’s 1,000th game as a player or coach, and the Giants would rise to the occasion. They got the early jump against Port Adelaide and going on to win by 34 points to record their first win at Spotless Stadium.

But for much of the season, the young and inexperienced Giants were cannon fodder for their far superior opponents, losing eight games by more than 90 points and finishing with a percentage below 50.

The second season would be even worse, with the Giants going 18 games without a win. They finally broke through against Melbourne; but having had to wait until early August to finally break through for their only win of the season was a test that only the most loyal and patient fans would pass as the Giants had a string of heavy defeats for much of the year.

Kevin Sheedy stood down as coach after the 2013 season, and Leon Cameron took over. The Giants made a big offer to recruit Lance Franklin, but that fell through and he joined the Swans instead. But in hindsight, this worked well for the Giants. The salary cap room they had budgeted for Franklin would instead be used to lure Heath Shaw and Shane Mumford to the club, bolstering the defence and ruck.

Jeremy Camron remained the focal point up forward, and has been the club’s leading goalkicker in every year of their AFL existence.

There was a sense of anticipation when going to Spotless Stadium for the opening game of 2014, despite a severe thunderstorm warning. The storm came at quarter time, but after a delay, the Giants lifted when play resumed; gradually winding back the quarter time deficit and taking the lead midway through the final term before powering away to win by 32 points.

It had been a remarkable win by the Giants, and remains their only win to date against their cross-town rivals.

It kick-started an improved season for the Giants, where they would win six games. Milestones were brought up. Their first away win, in Brisbane. Winning the next week against Carlton brought up back-to-back wins for the first time.

First time beating a team twice in a season, with Melbourne being the casualties. Their first win at the MCG; and their first at Etihad Stadium in the final round when they pipped the Western Bulldogs at the post.

Suddenly GWS Giants was an attractive team for players. Ryan Griffen and Joel Patfull made their way to the Giants for the 2015 season. With many of the young players who copped those heavy losses early having developed and gaining experience, the Giants looked a team on the rise.

The 2015 season started promisingly for the Giants, and by the midway point of the season, finals looked a genuine possibility. But a horror run of injuries in the run home cruelled their chances.

No finals in 2015, but a respectable record of 11 wins and 11 losses, breaking even for the first time in the Giants’ history. Two wins at Manuka, their first wins there since the Gold Coast game in 2012. And only dropping two games at Spotless Stadium, the Land of the Giants becoming more of a fortress that few teams can breach.

The 2016 season has started promisingly, with the Giants having seven wins so far this season, including being undefeated at either of their home grounds. With a midfield boasting the likes of Dylan Shiel, Lachie Whitfield and Tom Scully, the Giants move the ball forward quickly. Jeremy Cameron has developed into one of the game’s elite forwards, while the addition of Steven Johnson and the rise of Rory Lobb adds an edge to the forward line. And the rebound defensive work by the likes of Heath Shaw sees the ball move to the wave of midfield runners.

27 wins from 99 games is the overall record to date. Nothing special.

But the trend is running positively. There’s a self-belief in the camp. The home ground is becoming a real advantage; where although the Giants don’t draw big crowds, there’s plenty of noise and passion in the stands.

The young kids who were belted every week in the early years have grown up to become Giants.

It won’t be an easy game on Sunday. The Swans are a top side, likely to challenge for this year’s premiership.

But at the Land of the Giants, it’s a whole new ball game. And this is a milestone, a celebration of a club that they said would never make it but are proving themselves to be worthy of competing with the best.

It’s not an easy market they find themselves in. Australian Football hasn’t traditionally had any significant level of support in Greater Western Sydney. But these Giants are having a red-hot go, bit by bit growing the profile of the club. There are no quick fixes. It takes time, it takes money – but that’s no problem for the AFL.

We’ve come a long way in 100 games. But the best is yet to come. And when it does, the Orange Army behind the goals will tell you the story loud and clear.

Here come the Giants!