RECENTLY compared to an AFL great, Adam Treloar is only interested in helping Greater Western Sydney win games of football.
Earlier this year, Treloar received a massive compliment from Hawthorn great Dermott Brereton, who stated the 20-year-old could soon become one of the top five players in the competition.
"He's a very rare breed," Brereton said. "He has enormous pace, enormous courage and seeks out body contact, which is an absolute rare blend.
"He has the makings of being something extraordinary."
He then went on to compare Treloar to a young Mark Ricciuto, a man that ended his career with a premiership, a Brownlow Medal, eight All Australians, three best and fairests and a spot in the AFL Hall of Fame.
But the humble, likeable Treloar, who was added to GWS' emerging leaders group this year, is interested only in helping his side improve.
"That's a massive honour for Dermott to compare me to a champion like Mark Ricciuto," Treloar told AFL.com.au.
"He was a true champion in his own right.
"For me to be even close to as good as he was by the end of my career would be a massive honour.
"But I'm not thinking about that or trying to get ahead of myself.
"I just want to focus on this year, focus on the team, and hopefully we can win a few more games.
"Maybe one day I can be like what Dermott says, but I'm not focusing on that at the moment."
Treloar made 18 appearances in his rookie season in 2012, overcoming a slow start to average 21 disposals in an extremely promising debut year.
Those numbers swelled to 24 possessions per game in 20 starts last season, good enough for fifth place in the Giants' best and fairest count.
Aiding his cause going into year three, he has enjoyed a trouble-free pre-season so far.
"It's been good," he said. "The last two pre-seasons I've been injured, so I missed a fair chunk of both of them.
"But to finally do the whole pre-season, have no niggles touch-wood, has been massive for me.
"It's been great for my body. I've developed strength everywhere – my core strength, my legs, everything.
"Hopefully I'll have a really good year this year."
It's a far cry from the nervous teenager that admits to having few clues about what was happening when he first started his AFL career.
He is now far more comfortable in the GWS set-up and is leading the way for some of his fledgling teammates.
"My first game, I was just running around like a headless chook out there," he said.
"In your first year it's all about getting a game. There's no real structures or anything.
"I think in your second year you start to get comfortable and know the set-ups and structures.
"Now in my third year here I'm sort of a veteran here and I definitely notice it.
"I have to help the young boys, Tom Boyd, Josh Kelly, Jake Barrett, so I see myself as a leader.
"And it's not just me, it's all the third-year boys and beyond that."
The Giants will field a new-look side in 2014 and the club isn't shying away from increased expectations.
Heading into last season, then-head coach Kevin Sheedy predicted the team would win four-to-six games, but the campaign ultimately yielded just one victory.
So you won't be hearing any predictions this time around, just a vow that the side will compete for longer periods.
"It's just about being more competitive," Treloar said.
"We're hoping we can win more games, we're not putting a mark on how many we can win, but we're just hoping we can be heaps more competitive and we think we can."
That starts with a derby at Spotless Stadium, when the Sydney Swans will venture to GWS' new home ground for the first time.
"This whole pre-season has been a build-up towards that game," Treloar continued.
"It's the biggest game in Sydney, it's the opening of Spotless Stadium, so everyone is just really excited.
"It's going to have Buddy (Franklin) playing and Mummy (former Swan Shane Mumford) as well. It's going to be huge for us."
So do the Giants believe they can knock off one of the premiership favourites?
"Definitely," Treloar said. "There's no reason why we can't."
