Giants ready to take the next step

Photo by kukita

Text by Kyle Evans

The 2015 AFL Premiership season is just a week away, and the Greater Western Sydney Giants are ready for their most successful season yet.

After a hot start to their 2014 campaign which saw them win two of their first three games, the Giants eventually let youth and inexperience get the better of them as they went on to finish 16^th. However despite their record, encouraging signs were there. Four of their six wins came against teams that finished above them, including a stunning upset against last year’s Grand finalist the Sydney Swans.

With some new faces this year that includes accomplished veterans such as Ryan Griffen from the Western Bulldogs and Joel Patfull from Brisbane Lions, GWS Media Manager Leigh Meyrick has good reason to be optimistic.

‘’We feel great. Everyone is positive going into this season and with the additions of Ryan Griffin, Phil Davis and Joel Patfull, plus our own guys being another year older and wiser we really feel confident about what we have.”

The Giants proved they could put points on the board last year by scoring over 100 points on multiple occasions, however it was the defensive side of the ball where they struggled, finishing second in total points against. Meyrick states this is the area where they must show improvement.

‘’Wins is obviously the ultimate goal and that can only be achieved by improving our defense, and by limiting opposition inside 50s and scoring shots.’’

Leading the charge next season will be returning young guns Tony Green, and last year’s leading goal scorer Jeremy Cameron. Promising midfielder Jonathan Pattern will also be making his return from a knee injury. Meyrick  states they’re ready to take the next step and hopefully lead GWS to their first finals birth within the next two years.

‘’Yeah, absolutely, we’re aiming to play make the finals in the next two seasons. All our young guys have played around 50 games now and that’s how many it takes to get used to the pace and physicality of the AFL. We also have experienced players such as, Heath Shaw, Shane Mumford and Callan Ward to provide some veteran leadership so we feel we have a great shot.’’

This year, two of the Giants first four games will be played at Star Track Oval in Canberra, where they will play host to the Melbourne Demons and Gold Coast Suns. Meyrick states he hopes to continue to build on the momentum from last season where they experienced record highs in attendance.

‘’Last year we had a fantastic turnout, 10,000 fans turned up when we played North Melbourne last year, we think it’s just going to keep on getting better. It’s a small oval so it offers the opportunity to get up close and personal with the action, so it makes for a great experience and also a great family day out.’’

This year will mark a historical occasion for both Canberra and the AFL when the Giants host the Gold coast suns on the 24^th of April for the first ever Anzac day game played in Canberra. An event the AFL hopes will become an annual tradition. Meryick says it will be one of the biggest games of the Giants season.

‘’It’s incredibly exciting, the boys are really excited for it. What better way to honor the Anzac memory than a game of footy in the nation’s capital.’’

This season marks the fourth year of home games in Canberra, as part of a $23 million deal signed with the ACT Government back in 2011. Meyrick says with each year the city feels more and more like home.

‘’ We really feel like we’re part of the sporting community now. We’ve been spending a lot of time at schools, and visiting local football clubs and we’ve really seen an uplift in support from the community.

‘’Jack Steel plays for us now, he grew up in Canberra playing for the Belconnen Magpies. Canberra has always had a strong history of producing great players such as James Hird and Alex Jezilenko, so we would love to find the next Canberra superstar and have him play for us.’’

GWS plays their first home game against the Melbourne Demons on  the 11^th of April at 2:10pm at Star Trek Oval in Manuka.