The Greater Western Sydney Giants have been the envy of list managers since their entry into the AFL in the 2011 draft, also making enemies with their trading strategies that poached top talent, as the newest franchise set about becoming a top-performing team ahead of schedule in their formative years.
Such was the sheer talent of their draftees and academy zone graduates that all other opposing clubs set their sights on recruiting Giants players, yet it was often said that GWS never traded away a player that they wanted to keep.
Until 2020.
Zac Williams and Aiden Corr walked immediately in free agency, while Jye Caldwell and Zac Langdon were clamouring for the door as soon as they could manage, but when Jeremy Cameron, the 2019 Coleman medallist and spearhead of the grand final campaign, signalled his intent to join the exodus, there were alarm bells around the league.
However, with free agency compensation in and trades going off left and right, the Giants seemed to be picking up momentum as the trade matured, after looking like early losers for all money.
GWS was the major player of day two in the trade period, accepting a niggardly pick 54 from West Coast for proven goalsneak, Zac Langdon, then swiftly offering the same pick to Freo for Jesse Hogan in what will either be a major trade coup or a measured gamble to get the Demons version of the teenage prodigy rather than the self-destructing Dockers version.
In the second trade period, GWS collected Braydon Preuss from the Demons for a mid-second-round pick, which wound up being used at pick 37, after the ruckman fell behind Max Gawn and Luke Jackson this year.
The Giants continued to attack the trade period aggressively, yet it was the mega-trade that the recruiters had forced with Geelong that held up the entire trade until deadline day that had dominated the trade news. Once the Giants got a couple of second-rounders for Caldwell, negotiations came to a close right as the final paperwork was lodged.
This was a comeback of biblical proportions, yet the Giants were playing David as they slung their stone that knocked out Geelong’s Goliath. Such was the ballsy call by GWS to match the Cats offer on their free agent, which had never been done before. No one had dared.
At the juncture between the end of the trade period and the draft, the Giants had gone from being the worst-hit club by free agency and trade, with five top players leaving in addition to losing experience and depth overall in retirements and delistings, to converting such a weak position into an excellent draft hand.
What’s more, they adroitly brought in ready to play replacements in at need positions, with Suns Academy graduate Braydon Preuss making it to his third club to solve their ongoing ruck shortage, while Jesse Hogan is a quality alternative to their departed spearhead for a cheap price.
The only blight on GWS trade was that Jackson Hately walked to the Crows without getting a deal.
In the lead up to the draft, the club moved up a few spots in the order in the 20s, sitting firm with five picks between 10 and 30.
When they went on the clock at pick 12, they selected Tanner Bruhn from the Geelong Falcons using the compensation pick gained from losing Williams in free agency, then at pick 15 they spent the first of the three first-round picks they extracted from the Cats on Conor Stone from the Oakleigh Chargers.
A further three picks along, the Giants took Ryan Angwin from the Gippsland Power, then surprised many by taking Collingwood’s offer of a future first in exchange for picks 24 and 30, having failed to successfully bid for Reef McInnes.
Jeremy Cameron is off to the Cats (Photo by Matt King/AFL Photos/via Getty Images )
However, despite flicking their late first and early second to the Pies to get into the 2021 first round, which will be an even exchange if the Pies finish middle of the road, GWS have found a way to secure both a pair of early picks next year as well as picked the eyes out of the end of this draft.
The Giants came back to into the draft late to take the final pair of picks in the national draft, selecting Cameron Fleeton from the Geelong Falcons and mature age Jacob Wehr from Woodville-West Torrens, while using their final Category B rookie spot on top-aged Academy prospect out of the Giants’ zone in Northern Victoria, Will Shaw.
Hogan is at the crossroads of a career that promised much, delivered early and petered out lately, but third chances only come along for players who are worth the risk, which he definitely is due to his contract being torn up and performance-based indicators written in.
Preuss is a big man with a shot at establishing himself as the GWS number one ruckman for years to come, having served an apprenticeship behind Todd Goldstein and Max Gawn, looking for all intents and purposes to becoming one of the next tier rucks in the top grade.
Bruhn is a classy inside midfielder who was being talked about as a top prospect, yet as he slid out of the top ten the Giants selected him as their best player available.
Stone is a high half-forward who can get up and down the ground, while Angwin is a developing wing who looks to be a year or two away from a debut.
Fleeton comes into a depleted defence with opportunities to advance up the order as they rebuild the unit, while Wehr and Shaw are mature recruits that GWS have historically converted into solid depth players.
The AFL’s youngest franchise punched back in this year’s free agency, no question. They made Geelong pay top dollar for their spearhead and got excellent value from the trade.
Clubs will come back to try to poach Giants players in free agency and the trade again in the future, but required players will be perilously expensive or face having their bids matched. Watch for this daring strategy to be repeated across the league.
Free agency has changed forever.
Thom Roker
Roar Guru
Port have a couple of list spots to fill if and when they chose to do so, although with such a talented list they may prefer to keep the minimum 36 primary players and keep their total player payments down as low as possible. You hate to think about injuries, but that would seem to me to be the only thing that would motivate the club to list a player this late in the offseason. Do you know of any players who are rumoured to be training with Port? I suspect all AFL teams will be given the ability to carry a small list of Tier 2 only players, which was an innovation they brought into the cancelled NEAFL season in 2020. Who would you want playing for Port Magpies with your listed players, as well as Goldy, with the view to upgrade them midseason?
Footyguy
Guest
I get what you mean But in the 2019 offseason we had four players move in delisted free agency Buzza Brand Gray Newnes The year before we had five Michington Murdoch Menzel Lyons Sheridan Matt Scharenberg to Adelaide we were told that was a done deal by multiple afl media sources same with Gws Shane Savage I really do think Shane Savage (premiership player)could have had a big impact at GWS, GWS need experienced players not more young draft picks that aren't really committed long term and will leave within 4 years of being drafted
Thom Roker
Roar Guru
The fact is that known quantities in the AFL simply weren't considered by AFL clubs at the Draft because of the preseason supplemental draft and midseason draft in 2021. Michael Knoll actually came into the AFL through the midseason, so you might expect him to be able to get picked up at some point provided he can turn in some impressive form in the 2nd tier comps. Watch for list sizes to be increased in 9 months and 20 Connor Menadues to go in the rookie draft.
Thom Roker
Roar Guru
The simple answer to your initial question is that Aiden Corr, Heath Shaw, Zac Williams and Sam Jacobs were all on hefty salaries and Jeremy Cameron's salary was already inflated, so GWS would still have been able to afford it. As things stand, I suspect that the Giants will be paying Hogan and Preuss reasonable money, but they'll be able to get their 2021 TPP under 100% and have money to match any bids on Josh Kelly or simply extend him. GWS still have a very good list, excellent facilities and a premiership window similar to that of the Western Bulldogs. Jesse Hogan is a low risk, cheaply acquired player who fits the bill of being developed and ready to plug and play. Braydon Preuss is a 206cm and 109kg ruckman who is ready to be a number one and take the step up, similar to Jarrod Witts with the Suns a few years ago. Jacob Wehr was the last player in the draft and he comes into their list right in the middle of their age profile, so he fits the profile of a cheaper mature ager. In fact, Lachie Keeffe and Daniel Lloyd are both mature types brought in for depth who GWS rely on when injuries mount. The way GWS were going, perhaps being stuck with Cameron would have caused long term pain for the TPP, but that's an untestable hypothesis because Geelong are stuck with his huge demands. The other thing to consider is whether the AFL were paying an ambassadorial salary to Cameron as they were to Tom Lynch when he played for the Suns, which runs into the hundreds of thousands.
Aransan
Roar Rookie
GWS could trade for good players using their draft picks with the other club paying part of the contract for such players. In return the other club gets a higher draft pick than they would otherwise get. If they can’t get a satisfactory trade for a free agent they should be prepared to delist them.
Clint
Guest
GWS should be in either Canberra or Tasmania full time, even though they have made Grand Finals and numerous finals they still only average around 10000 people a game. The AFL have given them everything to be successful but I can guarantee being from NSW and particularly Western Sydney that it is full of Soccer lovers (Lebanese, Middle Eastern and Africans) and Islanders who prefer Union or League. The AFL will pump millions more into this team although it will never have a soul and will NEVER average more than 15000 a game ever. Players will continue to leave because of this, if this Team had been put in Tasmania it would have been a great success with a great following and great opportunity for people to travel to Tasmania to watch games, I know would have being a mad Dogs supporter. Guarantee I'm not going to Western Sydney and I live on the Central Coast dropped the ball on this one AFL BIG TIME.
Footyguy
Guest
I'm a little disappointed they didn't get Shane Savage from St Kilda in delisted free agency Would have been a good get they were so heavily linked to him I think delisted free agency is criminally underrated and clubs should use it more I get it because of the covid list cuts a lot of them didn't get a second chance often, I mean Shane Savage Mason Wood ,Matt Scharenberg, Ed Vickers Willis, Michael Knoll all deserved second chances at afl level
Aransan
Roar Rookie
How would GWS have managed with their salary cap if Geelong had decided not to trade for Cameron? They may well finish up with a discontented player taking a huge chunk out of their salary cap if a similar strategy falls over in the future. GWS have been able to generate a stream of high draft picks with their current strategy. Would they have done better to trade these picks for late career players from other clubs on modest contracts — the good average players that form the backbone of successful teams. GWS should have been strongly in premiership contention by now with the draft picks that they have had. A team can have too many elite players on their list being paid market rates. Successful teams in the past have had players being paid 20% under market rates in the hope that they would be premiership players. Perhaps trade out elite free agents and get high quality players in return on more sustainable contracts — even late career players.