They deny going from being bullied to being bullies, but GWS Giants are certainly happy to be known for having a physical edge to their AFL game.
In last weekend’s preliminary final upset over Sydney, the relentless Giants laid 32 more tackles than the club which leads the competition in that category.
With feisty veterans Shane Mumford and Steve Johnson leading the way, GWS showed they had the aggressive substance to go with their attractive playing style
It was a far cry from the physically light early GWS teams who suffered losses by 10 or more goals 14 times in each of their first two seasons.
The scrawny teenagers from those years are now strong, fully developed athletes, steeled and shaped by five years of strength and conditioning in the AFL system.
Fast forward to 2016 and it’s the Giants dealing out the beatings, with seven wins of over 60 points in the current campaign.
Star forward Jeremy Cameron said the physicality his side displayed against Sydney was something they wanted to bring to every game.
“It’s something that we’ve had to work on a lot over the last few years,” Cameron said.
“From the start it was probably the last thing; you’re just worried about getting a kick at the start.
“Tackling and that sort of stuff, our defensive side of our game is something we really had to work hard on and guys like (Giants’ assistant coaches) Lenny Hayes and Luke Power really put in the hard time with us.
“It’s great to see that hard work paying off.”
Foundation players like Cameron and utility Adam Tomlinson are relishing the good times having come through the bad.
“We were bullied for our first three years and we got used to losing,” Tomlinson said.
“That’s why we probably celebrate wins as well as we do now, because they were few and far between in our first few years.”
Tomlinson denied it was case of the Giants turning bullies.
“We try not to bully teams, but we do want to play a contested brand of football,” he said.
“If it does come out that we are playing really good footy and we do over-run a team, then so be it.”
Giants’ midfielder Josh Kelly said “we want to be known for our toughness, contested footy (and) tackling”.
Josh
Guest
You obviously don't spend much time on Twitter.
Republican
Guest
Well thats because Canberra is their safety net, so long as we continue to allow them to have their Lamington and eat it too.
Casper
Guest
Josh - the majority of people in Greater Western Sydney are Caucasian, so being known as the Canberra Caucasians isn't a problem. Also, plenty of footy fans around the country speak foreign languages, so can't see a problem with that either. They will end up being a success on and off the field so you might as well get used to it.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
Caucasians speak different languages.
SportsFanGC
Roar Guru
Josh and his friends use the expression amongst themselves. It is essentially reverse racism but its ok to Josh because they are Caucasian so they don’t fit his ideal of what a Western Sydney local should look like. Still amazes me how much time he spends finding GWS articles and commenting on them. It’s the behavior of a sad individual. FWIW I think the name Greater Western Sydney Giants is ridiculous, could have simply called them West Sydney or Western Sydney and they should definitely not be carrying Canberra branding on their shirts at this stage of their club development.
Republican
Guest
....from our perspective, i.e. Canberra and the Riverina, it is already a big problem.
TomC
Roar Guru
I haven't heard that expression before, Josh. Where did you hear it?
Josh
Guest
I think what you mean Tom is that the team does not reflect the area. Around Western Sydney many people know them as the Canberra Caucasians, both in their recent team photo and fanbase. It'll never work in Western Sydney where there are 160 languages spoken.
TomC
Roar Guru
I think that's actually a bit of a problem for them. It's difficult to make these judgements, but their supporter base doesn't seem to reflect the area they're supposed to be representing. That might be a problem for them in the next few years.
Republican
Guest
The DNA of this team is far more diverse than its GWS branding is supposed to evoke. The clubs nursery is primarily from the Riverina and the ACT while the nations capital is the clubs safety net, boasting 50% of its membership. GWS by name only.
Republican
Guest
The DNA of this team is far more diverse than its GWS branding is intended to evoke. The clubs nursery is primarily from the Riverina and the ACT while the nations capital is the clubs safety net, boasting 50% of its membership. GWS by name only.
Captain Captain
Roar Rookie
Oh dear! The correct wording in the title is "Uncharted", unless you are talking about some AFL charter, setting the framework for a NSW based team's future domination of the competition.