News Giants in the Media

Remove this Banner Ad

Log in to remove this ad.

GWS Goose said:
Phil spoke terrifically well.
He'll be a media star
Click to expand...
Thats why I always hoped he would stay up here, maybe an SEN Sydney gig and to broadcast and break in through the NSW media. But in saying that he brings a balanced and non vic fishbowl view of footy and the national comp.
 
Harvey Thomas makes history as latest draft pick to debut in season opener for GWS

By LACHLAN MCKIRDY

NSW AFL REPORTER

NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA SPORTS NEWSROOM

08 MARCH 2024

Teenager Harvey Thomas will create history on Saturday night when he becomes the latest draft pick in the Giants’ history to debut in the opening game of the season.

Thomas, 18, was selected by GWS with the 59th selection of last year’s draft. The talented midfielder stormed into contention for an unlikely opening-round debut after an impressive performance against the Suns in Canberra.

He was lively around the ball and finished with six tackles as he embraced his role in the Giants’ orange tsunami game style.

“It’s always good to see another Academy boy get a debut like that,” Tom Green said.

“Harves hasn’t put a foot wrong since he’s been here. He’s tough, he’s really hard working and I think that’s all you can ask for as a young kid.

“He’s kept himself available as well. Most of the first-year boys have had a few niggles and knocks, but he’s been lucky with that and he’s been throwing himself into everything.

“He’s come with a great attitude and completely earned his spot. I have no doubt he’s going to play a really important role for us on Saturday.”

Thomas takes the Giants’ record from Zac Langdon who played the opening game of the season for GWS after being taken with pick 56 of the 2017 draft.

Every club prides itself on finding draft gold but rarely do they get the chance to impress so early on the big stage.



Harry Himmelberg writes on GWS helping grow AFL in New South Wales, Collingwood rivalry and more

By HARRY HIMMELBERG

NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA SPORTS NEWSROOM

08 MARCH 2024

The words took me by surprise the first time I heard them.

It was during one of the early school clinics I got to participate in after joining the Giants more than eight years ago.

The club was doing a great job embedding itself into the community, but it was clear there was still a long way to go.

“How many tries have you scored?” one kid asked.

“How many penalty goals have you kicked?” said another.

It was always going to be an adjustment for children in Western Sydney learning to love a sport that didn’t have a big presence in the region.

But speaking from experience, once you make the switch there is nothing like it.

Being from Wagga Wagga, Aussie rules didn’t feature a lot in my household.

My dad, Kevin, comes from America and loves his basketball. Mum was from a rugby league family so a Sherrin never really came into consideration.

If it wasn’t for the Giants Academy, there is no way I would be playing in the AFL now. I’d probably be painting and putting up trusses otherwise.

I loved my sport and enjoyed playing a bit of rugby league and basketball.

But the pathway to play footy around the country representing the Giants and then become a professional athlete? I couldn’t pass that up.

The Academy gave me the chance to train with a specialist group of footy players, as well as the opportunity to travel across the Riverina to represent GWS.

It was necessary then with the Giants still in their infancy, but it’s amazing to see just how far the sport has come in under a decade. Even when I go home, the number of goalposts now permanently on ovals is incredible.

It’s also part of the reason why so many of us love playing for this club.

The Giants are basically one big country footy club with so many players coming from interstate, and every single member of our family feels like they have a role to play.

The fact we get to contribute to the growth of the sport in NSW and build a legacy far greater than our own is a bonus.

But we know that on-field success has an important role to play in that and that’s why we can’t wait to take on Collingwood this weekend at Giants Stadium.

Last year, we were slow out of the blocks. As we adjusted to coach Adam Kingsley’s new game plan we only hit our strides in about June and the end product was there for all to see.

But the team that ended our run in last year’s preliminary final will be our first challenge of 2024.

We haven’t specifically spoken about ‘revenge’ against the Pies. But we won’t hide away from the fact that there is an extra incentive to start our season on the front foot against the benchmark team in the competition.

The crowd is going to be electric. We’ve had a few cracking season openers against the Swans, but the excitement for this is going to take it to another level.

It feels like the momentum is turning for the club and if you’ve ever thought about getting to a game of AFL, this is the perfect time to do it.

While part of the appeal of the opening round is making the most of the NRL being away, this isn’t about Aussie rules taking on rugby league. We want fans to be able to embrace both because NSW truly is the biggest area for footy to grow.

I love being a part of this Giants side, as do all my teammates, and I hope that comes across on the field. The way we played last year was the most fun I’ve ever had in my career and we want those winning ways to continue.

This pre-season has been about giving us the tools to go to the next level.

We’re fit, we’re hungrier than ever and our confidence is sky high that success is just around the corner.
 
Giant YoYo said:
Click to expand...


Is that figure “new fans” ? Surely not right. It is that including us members too ?

If the team can consistently win, I’m positive this could be the year that fans start to come to the games.

Memberships are one thing, but bums on seats is important


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app
 
Simmofreo said:
Memberships are one thing, but bums on seats is important


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app
Click to expand...
We get 15k plus to games and sellout the big 4 and Derby then NRL code warz w***ers and vfl fishbowl traditionalists won’t have a leg to stand on.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Section226 said:
Guilt by association.


Without commentating on the allegations, the article refers to, and even has a photo caption mentioning Kevin Sheedy as the former coach of GWS.

Yes, that is true - but the allegations in question refer to incidents in the 1980s.

What is being alleged has absolutely nothing to do with the Giants.

Stinks to high heaven.
Click to expand...

Typical news.com.au trying to shit on the AFL in any way they can. It's almost daily on that site, the NRL biased is incredible.
 
Giant YoYo said:
Great 7News Sydney segment today.

Phwoar. The sound of the crowd, 19 to 25 seconds in the news clip for our opening round game against Collingwood makes me so happy.

Click to expand...

Winning that game has generated more positive media coverage than any other non-finals game since the inaugural game.
 
A heart warning moment - Connor Idun reuniting with his dad after 10 years

Connor was catching up with his dad, and brother Chris, for the first time in over 10 years when Brian Taylor stumbled across the beautiful moment during Roaming Brian.

“This is my dad, Zac, and brother, Chris. They’ve come over from England, so I haven’t actually seen them for probably over 10 years. First time seeing each other,” Idun told Taylor.

Idun’s father said they had been apart for a host of reasons.


7news.com.au

GWS defender reunites with long-lost father during live interview

Connor Idun’s dad ‘burst into tears’ after seeing his son for the first time in over 10 years.
7news.com.au 7news.com.au
 

GWS Giants chairman Tim Reed on lofty ambitions and cracking the Western Sydney market


GWS Giants’ chairman has made the bold declaration the club is on the cusp of its first premiership. Plus, the strategy to boost crowd numbers in Sydney’s west revealed.


The GWS Giants are ready to embrace more critical judgement over their crowd numbers as they prepare to enter the next phase of their life as the AFL’s youngest club.

Despite positive results both on and off the field since their inception, a perennial issue for GWS has been attracting fans to its home games at Sydney Olympic Park.

In 2023, the Giants averaged an attendance of 10,293 at the venue. They also had the lowest average home crowd in the AFL.
While the sentiment around the club is that they have turned a corner following some disappointing numbers post-Covid, there is a belief around the AFL that 2024 could be a make-or-break year for GWS to turn that into bums on seats.

After falling just one point short of a grand final last season there has never been more excitement around the Giants. They play an entertaining brand of football under Adam Kingsley and their membership numbers have reached record levels.

Giants chairman Tim Reed is confident 2024 will see a bounce in the Giants’ crowd figures.

That’s why chairman Tim Reed, who replaced inaugural chair Tony Shepherd in the role last October, welcomes the pressure on the club to have a tangible improvement in crowds.

Reed comes from a strong business background and looks at the Giants’ potential through an economic lens. They are no longer in a ‘start-up’ phase. It’s time for them to “scale-up”.

“It’s not just the hope but the expectation,” Reed said.

“I think with the degree of success we’ve had we can safely say we’re past that [early] phase, and we are entering a different stage of the club. It is a stage where we really want to compound our success.

“Covid was a bit of a setback, but we’re building a generation institution. We’re not building for this season or next season … we want to have kids that are coming now bring their kids. We want to be that club deeply embedded in Western Sydney.

“Is there room for us to grow? 100 per cent. Are we expecting to grow this year? Absolutely."

“ENGIE Stadium will sell out. Then it will sell out multiple times and then it will sell out to the point where we’ve got capacity limits and we’ll be talking about when’s the right opportunity for us to seek a bigger venue. And I’m absolutely confident that that will happen.”

Hot conditions, and no reverse broadcast angles, has left Giants Stadium often looking emptier than it actually is.

Internally, the club is forecasting “double-digit percentage growth” in crowd figures in 2024 and the signs are already there that they could be in for a bumper year.

At least two sellouts are expected in Sydney – the opening round against Collingwood and the Sydney Derby in round 15 – as well as going close to selling out their three matches in Canberra. If the Giants can get close to an average of 10,000 for their remaining six games at ENGIE Stadium, that would take them close to 130,000 fans for the year.

To help their internal targets, three of their five home games have been scheduled for Saturday at 4.35pm, the timeslot that research suggests draws their best crowds.


As a result of their lofty goals, many within the club believe the crowd for their round one clash against North Melbourne is far more important than the 20,000+ they will attract against Collingwood. Plans have already been put in place to turn the Kangaroos game into a spectacle with 2-for-1 ticket promotions across social media and a tribute for inaugural captain Phil Davis.
“Creating such a fantastic opening round game for the Giants, a rematch of last year’s preliminary final, we couldn’t be happier,” Reed said.

“But every single match from there matters … we will bring people in in Opening Round, giving them a great experience and wanting them to want to come back the following week to see North Melbourne when obviously, it’s not a rematch of last year’s prelim.

“The competition is in a different place when you’re pitching different clubs. But absolutely, our consumer team are doing everything they can to create different reasons for people to come to that round one game against North Melbourne.”
The key for the Giants is ensuring they can attract crowds throughout the year and not just for marquee matches.

The key for the Giants is ensuring they can attract crowds throughout the year and not just for marquee matches.

Part of the battle for the Giants has always been competing with the plethora of sporting teams in their region. Western Sydney has predominantly been rugby league heartland with the Penrith Panthers, Parramatta Eels and Wests Tigers all having a strong foothold in the area.

The enormous participation rates for soccer in a region so heavily influenced by immigration also means that translating the intricacies of Aussie rules to kids is going to be an uphill battle.

But Reed doesn’t believe that it has to be one or the other. The Giants are here to stay in Western Sydney and they want to encourage fans to have the best of both worlds.

“We talk about being a club like no other and we really mean it,” Reed said. “That means we can do things differently.

“We don’t think you have to be an AFL or an NRL fan. You can be both. We would love those Eels fans to come and watch the Giants, and I reckon they’ll be sold on the fact that while they love watching the Eels, they also love going to Giants games.

“Because of the market that we’re in, you’re spoiled for choice and that means it is a competitive market that we’re operating in. But we don’t see it as an either-or.

“If they can only come to three games a year, then that’s great. Come to one and then come back next year. That’s great as well.

“We welcome all people … we’re a very inclusive club and we always will be. But when we look at the culture of who we are and how we define ourselves, we really do want to make sure that we are representative of the people of Western Sydney.

“We’re confident if people come along and see what it is that they will come back.”

The Giants are determined to crack the Western Sydney market and present fans with another sporting option for the years to come.

Building recognition is still a core issue for the Giants in an area where awareness is still lower for the AFL as a whole. But with a population of 2.6 million people in Western Sydney, it’s the potential to convert just a small fraction of that figure that makes the Giants’ progress so important.

Exposure has long been GWS’ best weapon. It’s why they’re so present in the community and conduct more school and junior club visits than any other team in the competition.

But it’s winning on that final day in September that Reed believes will generate the cut-through required. And he is happy to share his belief that it will happen sooner rather than later.

“Winning a flag is absolutely important,” Reed said. “It is what drives, it is what motivates, it’s what builds belief.
“It will happen. I’m confident in making that statement. And I think it’s going to happen really soon.

“There’s absolutely some things that I would love to achieve and first and foremost is a premiership. We deserve one, the club deserves one, the players deserve one and so that’s an important goal. Not only in the men’s, but in our women’s team, and also in netball.

“We have three teams that are out there representing Western Sydney and proud of our colours and proud of the community that we come from. And so, right across the board, getting to that ultimate day and with that ultimate win is very, very important.

“A 2024 [AFL premiership] sounds pretty good for me.”
Click to expand...
 

Remove this Banner Ad

News Giants in the Media

Similar threads

The Dr
Podcast Historic AFL podcast: The build of the GWS Giants
Replies
3
Views
173
GWS Goose
GWS Goose
GWS Goose
Opinion The Giants best 22
Replies
22
Views
923
Colonial
Colonial
steviewonder36
Anyone collect Giants Membership Lanyards and Caps?
Replies
4
Views
202
Colonial
Colonial
ClockworkOrange
Analysis Umpiring Department vs Giants - Please explain, Laura Kane
Replies
16
Views
367
BarryAglett
BarryAglett
Colonial
Women's Footy VFLW Giants Thread
Replies
18
Views
875
MelbourneGWS
M
PaythePerryman
GIANT rivals
Replies
17
Views
1K
Brave New World
B
Land of the Giants
Preview First Semi-Final – GWS Giants vs Brisbane Lions, Saturday September 14, 7.40pm AEST, Engie Stadium
2
Replies
40
Views
671
Adam Giant
Adam Giant

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top