TWO years in, the expectation with football circles is that Greater Western Sydney needs to start showing some concrete improvement.
The start-up club won two games in its maiden season but saluted just once in 2013.
At face value, that's a step backwards and led to commentary that the Giants of this year were a bunch of talented kids and not a whole lot more.
But a more encouraging stat was that after winning just 13 quarters in their debut season, the Giants increased that total to 18 in 2013. Melbourne supporters won't be too pleased to learn that with just 19 quarters won for the season, their club finished only marginally ahead of the Giants.
By contrast, 2013 premier Hawthorn won 68 of 88 quarters of football played this year.
The quarters won statistic should matter a great deal to the Giants in 2014. The hope and expectation at the club and indeed its most important benefactor (the AFL) is that the Giants are competitive for longer in games in next year.
"Progress for the Giants next year would be more games where at three-quarter time they're still a chance to win the game," said one AFL executive.
The Giants had a few of those types of matches last year. They led Essendon at Etihad Stadium by 21 points at half-time before losing by 39. They led Collingwood by 16 points halfway through their MCG clash with Collingwood (the day Jeremy Cameron kicked seven goals) before succumbing by 50 points. They were also 19 points up at three-quarter time against the Demons at the MCG in round four before being beaten by almost seven goals.
But there were too many instances of GWS being completely blown away. Five defeats by 100 points or more, five more where the final margin exceeded 10 goals and a season-ending percentage of 51 did little for Greater Western Sydney's brand.
"We want to see them within a few goals of the lead early in the final quarter of games," added the AFL executive. "Then it comes down to little things that can be fixed in order for the team to improve."
To that end, the Giants appear to have boosted their hopes of being more competitive in 2014. The addition through the trade and free agency period of Shane Mumford (Sydney Swans 100 games), Heath Shaw (Collingwood, 173), Josh Hunt (Geelong, 198) and Dylan Addison (Western Bulldogs, 88) means 559 games of experience, as well as four premierships have walked into the club.
In Mumford, the Giants have gained one of the best ruckmen in the competition, while Hunt and Shaw will help stiffen a backline that for most of 2013, was simply not of AFL standard, as a whopping 2990 points against last season would attest.
Addison shapes as a depth player but surely into the best 22 will also step Jed Lamb, the mid-sized forward flanker who battled for game time with the Swans and who, like Mumford, was a salary cap casualty of the Swans once they brought Lance Franklin to the club.
"They'll help a bit," said the football manager of a rival club. "But I'm not sure they'll help the club get off the bottom of the ladder just yet."
Callan Ward and the Giants may have to wait a few years to rise up the ladder. Picture: AFL Media
But what many believe will help the Giants is that many of the 'kids' who have been the backbone of the side will be a year older, bigger and smarter.
Dylan Shiel, Devon Smith, Toby Greene, Jonathan Patton and Cameron will all turn 21 during the season. Stephen Coniglio will join them not long after that. It is around that age that some of the stars of the game truly emerge. Chris Judd won his first Brownlow Medal shortly after his 21st birthday.
"They'll be better players," said the football manager. "Some of them will have gone through four pre-seasons and they'll be ready to play all season. And we know they can play."
That's the cause for optimism around the Giants and feeds the belief that they will go better than the solitary win of 2013.
The general feeling is that the Giants can win between four and six games and that should be the aim. Simply by winning more quarters, they should win more matches.
GWS should enter next year believing it can beat teams such as Melbourne and St Kilda. If everything clicks, the Giants should be able to challenge Gold Coast and the Brisbane Lions as well.
Another development year shapes in 2015, but by 2016, the finals window should just about be open.
By then, all their crack midfielders will be reaching their prime, while the forward line anchored by Cameron – an All Australian in just his second season – and featuring Tom Boyd and Patton will be downright scary.
"They'll be bottom three next year and they know that," said a leading player manager. "They want to be more competitive and if they are, then that would demonstrate progress.
"And they would be happy with that."
@afl_hashbrowne
