The emergence of Jake Riccardi was a rare bright spot in an otherwise bleak 2020 for the Giants. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

GWS
2020 record: 8 wins, 9 losses (10th)

THE INS
Jesse Hogan (Fremantle), Braydon Preuss (Melbourne), Tanner Bruhn (Geelong Falcons), Connor Stone (Oakleigh Chargers), Ryan Angwin (Gippsland Power), Cameron Fleeton (Geelong Falcons), Jacob Wehr (Woodville-West Torrens), Will Shaw (Bendigo Pioneers)

THE OUTS
Jeremy Cameron (Geelong), Zac Williams (Carlton), Heath Shaw (delisted), Sam Jacobs (retired), Aidan Corr (North Melbourne), Zac Langdon (West Coast), Jye Caldwell (Essendon), Jackson Hately (delisted – Adelaide), Tom Sheridan (retired)

THE STRENGTHS
Despite a stunning fall down the ladder, GWS still boasts one of the strongest midfield groups in the competition which comprises Josh Kelly, captain Stephen Coniglio, Tim Taranto, Jacob Hopper, Callan Ward, Harry Perryman, Matt De Boer and the emerging Tom Green. It would be a brave pundit to suggest that on-ball brigade will struggle to hold its own two years in a row. The Giants have two superstars in defence in Lachie Whitfield and Nick Haynes, who is now one of the best backmen in the AFL, and up forward a bona fide match-winner in Toby Greene. The emergence of Jake Riccardi in attack last year was timely, especially with Cameron departing, while Jeremy Finlayson showed in 2019 with 44 goals that he is capable of being a handful. Haynes (third) and Whitfield (ninth) both finished in the top 10 in the competition for marks last year, further highlighting their incredible ability to control the ball down back. In victories over Richmond, Geelong and Collingwood, GWS showed that it could still mix it with the best.

THE WEAKNESSES
The club’s fall from grace from making the grand final in 2019 to missing the finals in 2020 was quite alarming. Things didn’t seem very harmonious within the club in hub life last year, and it brought serious scrutiny on two of the club’s most important people – coach Leon Cameron and captain Coniglio, who in round 17 became the first full-time skipper to be dropped since West Coast’s John Worsfold in 1998. The mass exodus of senior players probably raised more questions about Cameron and his management style/coaching ability, despite earning a contract extension until the end of 2023. And yes, he did take his team to a grand final just a season prior, but when Cameron, Williams, Corr, Langdon, Caldwell and Hately all walk out in the one off-season, it’s hard to ignore. The Giants are no strangers to losing quality players regularly, but they’ve never received a hit like this all at once. And when the delisting of Shaw is also factored in, GWS really is embarking on a new chapter, despite still retaining a decent portion of its core. While Hogan and Preuss could end up being decent replacements for Cameron and Shane Mumford, they’ve played 29 games between them in the last two years, so there are no guarantees they will be the answer. But GWS will be praying that Preuss realises his full potential as the No.1 man after being the understudy to Todd Goldstein and Max Gawn, because its ruck situation is a mess. Jacobs has retired and the battle-weary Mumford came in at 18th in the league for hit-outs in 2020. The Giants’ usually vaunted midfield really had a down year in 2020, with Whitfield the

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only one finishing in the top 20 in the AFL for disposals, while not one GWS player finished in the top 20 for tackles, clearances, contested possessions, contested marks, inside 50s or marks inside 50. On differentials, GWS ranked fifth, seventh and eighth for disposals, contested possessions and marks respectively, but were ranked No.16 for their overall disposal efficiency. Underscoring how poor the Giants’ midfield performed last year, too, was the fact they ranked 13th in the competition for clearances on differentials and third-last for total inside 50s. But perhaps the most worrying thing about Greater Western Sydney in 2020 was its seeming lack of care. The 52-point defeat to St Kilda with a finals spot on the line was a fitting way for its season to end, while losses to bottom-three teams Sydney, North Melbourne and Adelaide were inexcusable, and not only showed how far the Giants’ morale had sunk but also how poor their general attitude was – again, coach Cameron has to wear a lot of that. Who could forget Coniglio’s half-time interview with Fox Footy during their game against the Swans when he labelled his team’s performance as “hopeless”? One question worth pondering is that with such a small supporter base, little media scrutiny compared to the more established clubs and the absence of genuine anger and frustration from fans on talkback radio, for instance, is it easier to fall into a comfortable mindset playing for GWS? Meanwhile, with Hogan on board, a restructure of the forward line is a high priority, because Cameron led the club’s goalkicking every year since it entered the AFL in 2012 – those are big shoes to fill.

ONE TO WATCH
Green got a little taste of the big time last year, playing six games and averaging 15 touches, and despite being dropped twice, the soon-to-be-20-year-old finished 2020 with a bang, including a 30-disposal performance against Melbourne in the Giants’ heart-breaking five-point loss in round 17. He also registered 21 contested possessions in that game which suggests that GWS have unearthed yet another gun on-baller.

UNDER THE PUMP
It’s hard to go past Coniglio in his second year as captain. The superstar demanded the role as part of his seven-year contract negotiation, which was finalised in late 2019, but he quite simply did not cope with the demands of being the team’s leader, and his output suffered as a result. The 28-year-old needs to rebound and rebound hard in 2021 otherwise the critics’ voices will only get louder.

BEST 22
B: Sam Taylor, Phil Davis, Nick Haynes
HB: Lachie Whitfield, Lachie Keeffe, Lachie Ash
C: Josh Kelly, Stephen Coniglio, Jacob Hopper
HF: Toby Greene, Jesse Hogan, Brent Daniels
F: Harry Himmelberg, Jeremy Finlayson, Jake Riccardi
R: Braydon Preuss, Tim Taranto, Callan Ward
Inter: Harry Perryman, Matt De Boer, Tom Green, Bobby Hill
Emerg: Shane Mumford, Daniel Lloyd, Adam Kennedy, Sam Reid

Full seasons from former captain Ward, who has only managed eight games in the past two years due to injury, and Taranto, who had a delayed start to 2020 due to a shoulder injury, would be welcome, as will the return of Taylor after a serious mystery virus struck him down after round four and rendered him incapable of playing again in 2020.