Dylan Shiel and Rory Lobb leave the field after what turned out to be their final games for the club in the semi-final loss to Collingwood. Photo: AFL MEDIA

GWS 2018 record: 14 wins, 9 losses, 1 draw (6th)

THE INS
Shane Mumford (GWS), Tommy Sheridan (Fremantle), Jye Caldwell (Bendigo Pioneers), Jackson Hately (Central District), Xavier O’Halloran (Western Jets), Ian Hill (Perth), Kieren Briggs (Pennant Hills), Connor Idun (Geelong Falcons), Callum Brown (Derry – GAA)

THE OUTS
Dylan Shiel (Essendon), Rory Lobb (Fremantle), Tom Scully (Hawthorn), Will Setterfield (Carlton), Ryan Griffen (retired), Tim Mohr (delisted – Hawthorn), Lachlan Tiziani (delisted)

THE STRENGTHS
The Giants have a very solid backline, a major reason they had the sixth-best defence in the league in 2018. There’s plenty of healthy competition back there with Sam Taylor and Jeremy Finlayson keeping the heat on Phil Davis, Adam Tomlinson and Aidan Corr in key posts, while Nick Haynes, Lachie Whitfield, Zac Williams, Heath Shaw, Adam Kennedy and Matt Buntine form a very strong group of back-pockets and flankers to choose from. The midfield has taken a hit with the loss of Shiel and Scully, but it’s still an ominous on-ball division thanks to Josh Kelly, Stephen Coniglio, Callan Ward, Jacob Hopper, Brett Deledio and Tim Taranto. Meanwhile, in attack, Toby Greene, Jeremy Cameron, Jonathon Patton (who is recovering from a third knee reconstruction), Harry Himmelberg, Matt De Boer and Zac Langdon provide plenty of headaches for the opposition. On differentials last season, the Giants ranked third for contested possessions, third for clearances and fifth for contested marks. But Lobb was their leading contested marker in 2018, so maintaining their place in the top five will be a challenge in 2019. GWS also ranked fifth for total inside 50s last season.

THE WEAKNESSES
Salary cap management. It seemed like a good idea at the time to heavily backend the contracts of some of their brightest players, but they failed to strike while the iron was hot (especially in 2016) and unfortunately for the Giants, the chickens came home to roost this off-season with that maiden premiership flag still eluding them. No matter how you dice it, losing Shiel, Lobb and Scully in the one hit is a huge blow, and while Scully might still be recovering from a serious broken leg, if he recaptures his top form at the Hawks, it will sting the Giants. Their ruck department is pretty thin, too, which is why they were forced to coax Mumford back out of retirement. Last season GWS had the 10th best attack in the competition which, of course, wasn’t helped by lengthy injury layoffs to Greene and Patton nor Cameron’s five-match suspension for flattening Brisbane’s Harris Andrews. Pressure, toughness and tackling have been hallmarks of GWS teams of recent years, which is why it was surprising they were ranked 10th for tackles on differentials in 2018. The casualty ward was an issue again, too, with Scully (23 games), Williams (22), Buntine (15), Greene (15), Kennedy (15), Deledio (13), Patton (12), De Boer (nine), Corr (eight), Ryan Griffen (eight), Kelly (eight) and Shaw (four) all missing sizeable chunks of the season through injury.

ONE TO WATCH
After a very impressive second year, Taranto, who turns 21 next month, looks primed for a huge 2019. With Shiel now at Essendon, there’s a big role that needs to be filled in the Giants’ engine room, and Taranto looks like the perfect candidate after averaging 21 disposals in 2018, as well as ranking No.1 at the club for tackles, No.3 for contested possessions and fourth for clearances.

UNDER THE PUMP
Cameron has the potential to be one of the most damaging key forwards in the game, as his 2013 All-Australian jumper suggests, but he seems to be playing within himself in recent years and hasn’t again reached the kind of heights of which he is capable. He booted 46 goals in 2018, but 33 of those were against bottom 10 sides, and the year before he registered 45 majors. A guy like Cameron should be kicking 50 goals a year at a minimum, and with Patton likely to be unavailable until the second half of the season, the Giants desperately need him to fire on all cylinders in 2019, stay fit and, most importantly, avoid silly suspensions.

BEST 22
B: Nick Haynes, Phil Davis, Aidan Corr
HB: Lachie Whitfield, Adam Tomlinson, Zac Williams
C: Josh Kelly, Jacob Hopper, Brett Deledio
HF: Stephen Coniglio, Jeremy Cameron, Matt De Boer
F: Toby Greene, Jonathon Patton, Harry Himmelberg
R: Shane Mumford, Callan Ward, Tim Taranto
Inter: Heath Shaw, Zac Langdon, Adam Kennedy, Sam Reid
Emerg: Sam Taylor, Jeremy Finlayson, Dawson Simpson, Matt Buntine

Patton probably won’t feature in the first half of the season due to his third knee reconstruction, but he should be available at some stage in the second half of 2019, so he keeps his spot in the Giants’ best 22 for next year. Taylor and Finlayson are listed as emergencies but they are both very promising key defenders and should get their fair share of opportunities. Harry Perryman, Tommy Sheridan, Daniel Lloyd and Aidan Bonar are handy to have on the fringe of the 26.