In light of Greater Western Sydney making it through to the preliminary final, I felt the need to express my feelings for the club I love so dearly.
I bet you are wondering, “Did this bloke only start liking AFL two years ago? How can he love a club that gets fewer than 15,000 to a final? Is he riding the bandwagon?”
Trust me, I’ve heard it all.
After joining up as a foundation member, recently I have experienced a lot of highs, but the first three seasons were definitely lows, as experienced veterans and 18-year-old kids were trampled by the best the AFL had to offer.
They were wonderful days at Skoda Stadium when Adelaide and Collingwood came to town in 2012, the Giants being thumped by more than 100 points on each occasion.
If you are not a member of the ‘Orange Army’, you probably don’t like us, or our draft concessions, or the fact that we are pretty good at the game that your team has been playing since the 1800s.
I don’t think anyone expected the Giants would get where they have this quickly, and that is what really infuriates the AFL’s diehard fans.
GWS have grown from strength to strength, and retained a significant amount of the talent they drafted over the past six years.
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When they were a team you could treat as a set of witch’s hats, the football community forgot that they even existed. Now they are playing for a spot in the premiership decider for the second year in a row.
The Giants put so much back into the community of western Sydney. They have multiple fan days, and open training sessions almost every week during the season. They visit Auskick nights all over the west every week.
The players are always around and accessible for a chat. They want the team to grow and they love the culture that has been created. This is why they want to stay and it is a major contributor of why they are going to be pushing for flags over the next few years, with the premiership window wide open.
But has anyone in the AFL media ever written a heartfelt piece about GWS? The club is great and hopefully they will stop being classed as soulless.
The Giants were created by the AFL. If you don’t like them, does that mean you don’t like football?
DeanM
Guest
The original comment was directed at someone who changed their team 3 times due to geographical convenience.
DeanM
Guest
I see no problem in following different teams from different leagues, different codes as they are not directly in competition with each other. That has nothing to do with been a turn coat. I also firmly believe you pick a team and stick with them through thick and thin, only the teams death like Fitzroy would be a reason to change teams within a code. Sorry to rustle your jimmies Doctor Phil.
steveng
Roar Rookie
DeanM and Benji, I never had a VFL or AFL team before the Swans and GWS came and formed in Sydney and I've been 'watching' not following VFL and AFL since the 60's or when they first telecasted on TV . The VFL and now AFL is a secondary code for me. I'm a 'die hard' NRL supporter as I'm sure that the Swans and GWS (especially) supporters are too. There is nothing wrong in being or as you so immaturely and foolishly put it 'a turn coat' which is not the case at all. You must be so obsessed and brainwashed with whoever you support, that you must have allot of personal problems. The AFL is very lucky (these days) that in Sydney the NRL is losing support and the AFL has taken so much advantage of all those problems. There is no 'turn coating' involved its an evolution of the times and peoples demographics.
Patricia
Guest
Why so snarly, I thought I had actually been gracious in acknowledging you club's strength and wishing you well? It is pathetic to blame a loss on one injury. We lost Roughead so were down a payer too. Instead of moaning about last year look forward to what lies ahead for your club. Oh yes, and we appreciate Boyd and his significant contribution to our premiership.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
Adelaide picked up both Brad Crouch (comp pick 9) and Luke Brown (GWS pre-draft rights handed over to Adelaide) from the compensation that they received fro handing over Phil Davis. Phil Davis is not a bad player but ... it seems that Adelaide won that deal!
Paul D
Roar Guru
Why should they - club members don't own the AFL commission, and clubs ownership is limited to nominating candidates. Basically the AFL commission is doing what our politicians should have done all along - got elected to serve the people, and be entrusted to make decisions on our behalf. I highly doubt there's many people (and certainly not anyone worth losing sleep over) who'll walk away from the comp because they put up a 'YES' logo for a day, whereas the ramifications of sitting on their hands given their high profile support for other causes would have looked very damaging. Surely there are bigger issues for you to complain about. This is just getting angry over symbolic gestures.
mickyo
Guest
My personal view has little to do with it, but IMO the AFL should have said what Carlton said - which was we really have no opinion and we will leave it up to you, we are a football club. I think the AFL should butt out - so to speak. I dont want to know their opinion on banning the burqa, solar energy V coal, dogs on leads, Palestine V Israel, immigration, boat people etc etc. But they are happy to take gambling money and sponsorships from Saudi Arabia via Etihad!! The AFL is not the barometer of social issues, they are a sports org and whatsmore i doubt they have polled the AFL members, let alone club members under their wing.
Benji
Guest
Now Phil Lutton in the SMH is bagging the AFL because it only recently after the NRL supported same sex marriage. No matter what your views, the AFL came out in support of SSM 2 years ago and the only support the NRL has is last week when Greenburg was asked so it is hardly full blown support. I am of the opposite view but just misconstruing the facts is a disgrace - he then compares the Goodes saga (who knows why they were booing him - dobbing a girl in, a Sydney brownlow medallist etc) - wouldnt happen in NRL said Lutton yeah well last time I heard that after Winmar got booed for pointing at black skin (by a minority) Masters said it would never happen In RL. The next week (just 7 days) Chris Caruana of Norths RL complained about being racially sledged by an opponent and the crowd (of such small number no-one noticed).
Benji
Guest
So all those Crows/Power/Eagles/Dockers/Lions/Swans fans who had a VFL team before a team in their state are turncoats - that is bizarre????
Benji
Guest
Republican writes the same garbage about small pop'n places getting a team - have you ever run any business in your life or are you a handout public servant.
Benji
Guest
Interesting the Storms No 1 ticket holder Roy masters complains about the Giants yet his Melbourne NRL team won in their second year (with the best players from 3 closed clubs) and he even defended them when they broke the salary cap. http://www.smh.com.au/afl/greater-western-sydney-giants/roy-masters-why-giants-should-be-renamed-grants-20170921-gym2sh.html Hypocritical at best
clipper
Guest
steveng - I wouldn't say the NRL is dead in Sydney yet, although it certainly is on the decline. Don't think GWS will be getting many former NRL fans, different demographics - WSW is certainly the entity that is doing that. What the AFL needs to do is find out how to be a game for all classes of people, like it is elsewhere and Soccer is here.
DeanM
Guest
Looks like I have found another turn coat. What team did you betray?
steveng
Roar Rookie
Great story Benh2477 and that is the support that GWS needs. But as far as DeanM's comment is concerned, 'no wonder there is so much anemosity and hatred in the world!!! Wake up you clown!!! I fully agree with you (and as I've said) GWS has filled a big gap in western Sydney for a winter football code, as the NRL is a miserable failure and continues to be 'year by year'. Hope GWS get a win on Saturday against the Tigers and shut all them DeanM's up, if they haven't done so already lol
mickyo
Guest
Unfortunately for Canberra and Tassie you can always make a very good long term forecast for WS based on potential - population, sponsorship etc. Canberra this year had the biggest amount of junior teams in its comp since the 1980's, a real feather in its cap, but already there are more in GWS'S WS zone and the rate and potential for growth far outstrips the Nations capital.. If we are looking generational WS is a long long way in front, sponsorship or potential sponsorship is also a very long way in front in WS compared to the private sector in the ACT. GWS is in reality going nowhere.
steveng
Roar Rookie
Wrong, about GWS!!! The NRL is dead in Western Sydney, you might as well bring in a bunch of winners in GWS (which was a good move) and be done with it. Because the only other successful sporting outlet that they have is the 'Western Sydney Wanderers' (who btw have had tremendous success) and with that, soccer is and will thrive in that area, GWS is filling an alternate sporting gap (in winter) and making the NRL look like armatures. The NRL's West/Tigers are a miserable failure and the westerners have no other sporting outlet. Good move by the AFL and it proves how much more professional the AFL is in comparison to the NRL, as they have and can run two successful AFL sides in the miserably fickle sporting arena of Sydney!!!
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
Pretty sure that money has come out of someone's pocket and I reckon that the paper trail will end back at my and your wallets!
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
The issues will come when the benefits of the draft concessions dissipate and GWS is just the same as every other team but without the rich history (and at this stage, without any sustained success). If nobody is attending the AFL will need to decide if it wants to continue to prop up GWS or another side (like Tassie or Canberra or Darwin, all of which would also need serious long term and ongoing financial support).
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
Get your hand off it andy, it must be worn down to a sad sore nub by now.
Mick Jones/Paul Simonen/Topper Headon
Guest
Cannot see them having a side in Tasmania owing to what you say - not even playing 1/2 of the games in each city would work