Newly-promoted GWS co-captain Toby Greene arguably holds the fortunes of his club in his hands. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

GWS
2021 record: 12 wins, 11 losses, 1 draw (6th)

THE INS
Jarrod Brander (West Coast), Finn Callaghan (Sandringham Dragons), Leek Aleer (Central District), Josh Fahey (Queanbeyan Tigers), Cooper Hamilton (Bendigo Pioneers)

THE OUTS
Shane Mumford (retired), Jeremy Finlayson (Port Adelaide), Sam Reid (delisted), Matt Buntine (delisted), Nick Shipley (delisted), Tom Hutchesson (delisted)

THE STRENGTHS
For all the jibes about GWS being a “fake club”, one thing that cannot be denied is that the Giants are a club with serious ticker. Written off at the start of last year following the departures of Jeremy Cameron (Geelong), Zac Williams (Carlton), Heath Shaw (delisted), Sam Jacobs (retired), Aidan Corr (North Melbourne), Zac Langdon (West Coast), Jye Caldwell (Essendon) and Jackson Hately (Adelaide), it looked like the doomsayers were on the money when they began the year 0-3. But oft-criticised coach Leon Cameron lifted his team off the canvas and got them to not only make the top eight, but also win a classic elimination final against crosstown rival Sydney by one point in Tasmania. The Giants’ core of top-class talent featuring Toby Greene, Josh Kelly, Tim Taranto, Jacob Hopper, Nick Haynes and Lachie Whitfield, as well as their next wave of emerging stars coming through such as Sam Taylor, Harry Perryman, Isaac Cumming, Lachie Ash, Connor Idun and Bobby Hill, means they will certainly be a force to be reckoned with yet again in 2022, and finals should be the expectation at a minimum. And if Stephen Coniglio manages to get back to his pre-2020 best form, that would be a massive bonus. Their star-studded midfield ensured the Giants last year were ranked sixth and fifth for contested possessions and clearances on differentials respectively. The Giants’ win over the Cats in Geelong in Round 21, without Kelly, Hopper, Green, Jesse Hogan, Shane Mumford, Phil Davis, Daniel Lloyd or Sam Reid, was easily in the top three wins in the club’s history, and knocking off eventual premier Melbourne at the MCG in Round 16 wasn’t too bad either. Beating the Swans twice by a combined total of three points would have been very sweet as well.

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THE WEAKNESSES
But by the same token, the Giants were their own worst enemy, and really should have been pushing for a top-four spot. However, unforgivable results against North Melbourne (draw), Gold Coast (one-point loss), Hawthorn (18 points), and Richmond (four), after giving up a 28-point lead midway through the third quarter, conspired against them badly and undermined their decent 6-6 record against the top-eight teams. Consistency, and bridging the gap between their best and worst performances, would have been a huge focus for the Giants over the summer, because for a team in their position, it could quite literally cost them a double chance. Another weakness is probably their greatest strength – newly-promoted co-captain Greene. Arguably the Giants’ best player, Greene holds the fortunes of his club almost entirely in the palms of his hands. But the superstar lets his side down too often, and there has been no greater example of that than what occurred in that memorable final against the Swans last year. Greene always plays close to the edge, but he overstepped the line grossly in making unnecessary contact with an umpire between quarters, and rightly copped a severe six-game penalty for the indiscretion. It was stupid and pointless, and extinguished any hope the Giants had of causing an upset against the Cats in the semi-finals. Furthermore, GWS now has to plan for the first five games of the season without Greene, which already puts them on the back foot slightly before a ball has even been bounced. Meanwhile, the Giants only ranked eighth for offence last year, and a lot of the blame for that has to fall on the shoulders of their on-ball brigade, because GWS ranked only 12th for total inside 50s, which led to them coming in at No.13 for marks inside 50 on differentials. The Giants were also 13th last year for inside 50s conceded, so while there are plenty of big names in the GWS midfield, there is still plenty of work to be done in that part of the ground. A fully fit Jesse Hogan would also enhance their attacking potency.

ONE TO WATCH
Braydon Preuss’ first year with the Giants finished before it even began when the man mountain first underwent a left shoulder reconstruction, before going under the knife again in May to repair a torn right pectoral muscle after a training mishap in the gym. Now with a clear run at it, the 26-year-old has the chance to make the No.1 ruck spot at a club his own for the first time. For a guy that’s only played 18 senior games in seven years, the Giants sure are depending on him now following the (final) retirement of Mumford. But at least GWS now has proven dependable back-up options in Matt Flynn and Kieren Briggs.

UNDER THE PUMP
After a shocking first year as captain in 2020 which saw him dropped late in the season, and ankle/toe surgery restricting him to just seven games in 2021, Coniglio, who tellingly now shares the captaincy with Greene and Kelly, embarks on the most important year of his career. Two years into his multi-million-dollar seven-year deal with the Giants, and Coniglio has produced far less than what his wage commands. With his body reportedly back to full fitness, Coniglio needs to get somewhere near his career-best footy in 2022, otherwise GWS might rightly start looking at ways to revise his monstrous contract.

BEST 23
B: Isaac Cumming, Phil Davis, Jake Stein
HB: Lachie Whitfield, Sam Taylor, Nick Haynes
C: Josh Kelly, Jacob Hopper, Harry Perryman
HF: Toby Greene, Harry Himmelberg, Brent Daniels
F: Bobby Hill, Jesse Hogan, Zach Sproule
R: Braydon Preuss, Tim Taranto, Tom Green
Inter: Lachie Ash, Connor Idun, Callan Ward, Stephen Coniglio, Tanner Bruhn
Emerg: Matt Flynn, Matt De Boer, Xavier O’Halloran

Ordinarily, Davis wouldn’t be guaranteed a spot in the team. The former captain has only managed 21 games in the past two seasons, and was overlooked for four games late last year after recovering from concussion, before finally being selected for the Giants’ semi-final against Geelong. However, with the promising Jack Buckley continuing his rehabilitation from an ACL injury suffered in Round 16 last season, and Lachie Keeffe still a fair way off after suffering the same injury, Davis holds on for now. GWS has pretty good depth with Matt De Boer, Xavier O’Halloran, Adam Kennedy, Connor Stone, former Eagle Jarrod Brander, Jake Riccardi and Daniel Lloyd out of the 23 at this stage.