When it comes to GWS Giants, this tall poppy’s not for cutting down. Not by the latest campaign of lies and misinformation, much of it coming from south of the Barassi Line.
A sudden rise up the ladder this year has made many sit up and take notice. No longer the AFL’s whipping boys, the young kids that were cannon fodder in the Giants’ early years have grown up to become Giants.
But now there is jealousy and mistruth. It’s human nature to try to cut down the tall poppies and put the upstarts in their place, but the record needs to be set straight.
As far as the Giants being gifted early draft picks; to get the truth, replace “gifted” with “traded”.
When the decision was made to expand the league, the 16 existing clubs unanimously agreed on what concessions would be made for the new clubs to enable them to build lists.
The concessions GWS Giants were given were similar to what Gold Coast Suns were given. Have GWS used theirs more effectively? Unquestionably so.
But the existing clubs were unwilling to trade quality players to the Giants. But they were happy to trade early picks. So when the question is asked how the Giants came to have so many early picks, the answer is simple. Other clubs willingly traded them.
Hardly a gift. It’s smart trading.
And trading will continue. Some, like Taylor Adams and Adam Treloar, will request a trade to move home; and clubs that recognise their value at the trading table will get them.
Others, like the Carlton quartet, will request a trade for senior opportunities. Those trades are usually win-win. All clubs trade, the Giants have traded well; and will continue to.
I’ve written before about the Academy zones. These were hardly gold mines in seasons past. As recently as 2012, not one NSW player was picked in the entire draft.
Why did NSW produce four top-16 picks last year? They never did before. And the answer is simple – because of the resources that the Giants and Swans have put in.
The clubs have invested their own resources. And players who would not otherwise have been draftable are getting picked up early.
Would Callum Mills have been a number three pick if not for the Swans Academy? Not a chance. He likely would have fallen through the cracks completely, like every single NSW player did in 2012. At best he’d have been rookie listed. The Swans put their own resources into making him a number three pick.
Would Jacob Hopper, Matthew Kennedy and Harry Himmelburg have been picked in the top 16 if the Giants Academy didn’t exist? No chance. Probably most AFL recruiters would never have heard of them.
And it’s only reasonable that clubs that put their own resources into players who would otherwise not have been draftable should get first dibs on those players.
These zones are adding to the talent pool, not diluting it. The system is working.
As far as the fixturing of the Giants versus Western Bulldogs final this weekend, it’s quite simple. GWS finished higher on the ladder, and under the finals system as it stands, it’s a Giants’ home final. Therefore it’s at the Giants’ home ground.
Other teams may be constrained by contracts the AFL has, and that’s unfortunate. But that’s life. But the Giants only have contracts at two grounds, Spotless Stadium and Manuka Oval.
The Giants are not a party to the contract that is currently being terminated at ANZ Stadium, relating to Swans home finals. The Giants do not have a contract with the SCG.
At the time the game was scheduled, the Giants had never drawn over 15,000 for a non-derby game at Spotless. The capacity at 25,000 was considered by experts, who should know more about crowd expectations than amateur enthusiasts like you or I, to be more than adequate.
If it sells out, so be it. The place will be rocking. So much more than tens of thousands of empty seats at a cavernous mega-stadium.
If you don’t want your team to play a final at Spotless, it’s quite simple. Finish higher than the Giants and get the home final.
We’ll go anywhere when we’re away. That’s the AFL’s decision, not ours.
All clubs had a beginning. All clubs were once created.
In the beginning, when God spake “Let there be light”, were the existing clubs already in existence with their 70,000 members and a million supporters? Of course not!
They started. They were manufactured. Just like the Giants did; only the Giants started a century or so later.
And the other clubs didn’t have 70,000 members and a million supporters when they started. It was a small group of visionaries, with a dream and a plan. Most didn’t live to see their creations become the mega-clubs they are today.
The Giants started later. The small group of visionaries are alive today. The dream is real. The plan is in progress. But we’re still catching up.
The Giants’ current tally of just over 15,000 members is a similar number to what the Western Bulldogs had in 1997, the first year of their current identity. It’s more than that club ever had under the Footscray name.
It took the Bulldogs 100 years or so to get their membership to that level. The Giants have done it in five years.
A manufactured club with few supporters? No, the correct term is a club that started, as every other club once did; and has built support in five years that took other clubs a century to do.
There will always be critics. There will always be those who want to cut down the growing tall poppies.
But they can wallow in their bitter jealousy. I’ve got a final to attend on Saturday. Maybe a grand final the Saturday after.
It’s been quite a rise and the best is yet to come.
Here Come The Giants!
Gianthead
Guest
I understand what your saying about gws getting hand outs but just asking from another supporter what does gws have to do to win a premiership fair and square without other team supporters saying they have been given a premiership whats your take?
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
An honest commentator would have noted how many Riverina players were drafted in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, before GWS came in. Here's the list of players from this allegedly productive area from those drafts. 2008: Rookie Draft: Pick 61: Dean Terlich: Osborne: Sydney: 0 games (delisted, played SANFL before being rookied and later elevated by Melbourne) 2010: Pick 19: Isaac Smith: Temora/East Wagga-Kooringle: Hawthorn: 115+ games, 3 premierships
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Love the dishonesty of forgetting to mention what GWS gave up to get the picks in 2012 and 2013. You going to say how Heath Shaw and Ryan Griffen came for free as well ?
Ken Baxter
Roar Rookie
Western Bulldogs should never have been in the national comp. they've had over 150 national draft picks and never even made a GF. Given 26'years of AFL with a national draft and salary cap, that is truly deplorable. They bring nothing. GWS helps the game to grow.
Paul W
Guest
Seriously, GWS Draft picks: 2011 - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13 2012 - 1, 2, 3, 12, 14 2013 - 1, 2, 14 GWS is the AFL's own club. Dogs have an intrinsic value to the AFL, GWS has an artificial value.
Ken Baxter
Roar Rookie
Generally well said, but I think you are too generous to the Bulldogs. They have been more heavily subsidied financially than GWS and had more draft picks too.
GiantLew
Guest
Nothing about that disappoints me or surprises me
GiantLew
Guest
The ground has a train line running behind it. Rooty Hill station is a couple of hundred metres away
DeanM
Guest
Laugh I did when I read the part about GWS investing their own money in the academies, that is the AFL footing that bill and every club would gladly invest in academies if it meant they could circumvent the purpose of the national draft and elevate their draft position. The Riverina zone right along the border is an absolute joke and any club if allowed to have an academy there could have extracted the same amount of talent and been closer to their sponsor club in Melbourne. Most those kids end up in the private school systems in Melbourne too. I grew up right on the border NE Victoria and the ovens and Murray is a strong league, you would need to drive all the way to Wagga to get out of AFL heartland. Fair enough their draft picks they have now were traded in but even down the track they can win the premiership, bundle up a few picks in the 30's, 40's and get a top ten pick every year. Plus it is a lot easier for them to trade away players as they have plenty of opportunity starved talent and an extended playing roster. Comparison cannot be made to traditional teams trading away their young talent as none have near as much. If the AFL wants to develop talent through academies than great but make it avalaible to all clubs, not just their pet favourites in NSW. The same problems could occur with the QLD teams if they can sort out their poor off field showings. My prediction is that If GWS continue to be spoon fed top talent for the next decade circumventing the purpose of the draft and the AFL continue to line their pockets to help GWS maintain been well run they could very likely win 7 of the next 10 premierships. I feel most for the Dogs as they could be cheated out of well deserved success having to possibly get over 2 AFL assisted clubs to win a long awaited premiership. So much for equalisation the AFL will be like a sprint race where currently 2 NSW teams run unhandicapped and their opposition has to carry a bag of cement on their shoulders.
Maxirius
Guest
Funnily enough, Sydney probably would have more (or at least as many) players from their "heartland" areas (obviously not just eastern suburbs) than most Victorian clubs would, including both co-captains and the recent winner of the NAB rising star Given the draft, all clubs have players from most states THis is a list of NSW players in 2012...their were 52 all up, many from Sydney and a majority of them were playing from non-Sydney clubs https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/complete-list-of-50-nsw-afl-listed-players.968118/
TomC
Roar Guru
Overshot with a tiny concession on a small group of players. Geez, people talk some absolute nonsense on the academies. The case against them is based on nothing more than counterfactual hyperbole.
Angela
Guest
And, as it turns out, Abe Davis. That's it. Note I said the eastern suburbs of Sydney (where the Swans home ground is) not Sydney or NSW. Even so most of our players come from interstate, predominately Victoria
Angela
Guest
Sure I realise that, it's just that all the whinging about the northern states seems to emanate largely from Victoria
Angela
Guest
Oh yes, Dane Rampe. Who else?
Tricky
Guest
Of course they got local talent they're Australian rules states - that's a given. They haven't been given any financial concessions like the nrl states though
Steve
Guest
It seems like a lot of the people commenting here are either living back in the dark ages or jealous of the Giants. Who remembers when West Coast first won the Premiership and took the cup to Perth? So many Victorians were hurt and jealous then as well. It was like "How dare a interstate team win our game!" So if GWS win and go all the way just think how much it will grow and expand the game in NSW.?
clipper
Guest
I've been out west many times and it's well known the GR level of league has been in decline while Football has been on the up and up.
harry houdini
Roar Rookie
Sorry mate, but the Murray Bushrangers primarily uses kids on the Victorian side of the border and some very close from the NSW side, does not use kids from around the Hume League, Wagga, Griffith, Leeton, Narrandera, Broken Hill and all the way up to West Wyalong, Ungarie even Canberra etc etc etc. It is those kids who have missed out on the Victorian TAC pathways who are now being catered for - witness all the kids from Wagga, Canberra Leeton etc who have been drafted recently.
I hate pies
Guest
Yes there is, it's called the Murray Bushrangers, and they're into the granny this year.
I hate pies
Guest
Do you even realise that the culture and history is just as strong in Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia? It's not just the Victorians who want to preserve the integrity of their game.