GREATER Western Sydney players have met to discuss the arrest of Sydney Swans defender Michael Talia in a bid to reinforce their stance on the importance of sticking to club values.
Talia was charged with being in possession of a quantity of a prohibited substance, believed to be cocaine, after being stopped by police in Sydney's eastern suburbs early on Sunday morning.
The former Western Bulldog has been stood down from all club activities and will face local court on August 17.
Co-captain Callan Ward said the Giants got together on Wednesday morning before training to talk about Talia's situation, and the lessons that can be learned from the 23-year-old's arrest.
"We just mentioned that this is how easily it can happen, if you get yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time," Ward said.
"If you're doing the wrong thing it can ruin careers, it can ruin seasons for some people.
"It's just not worth the risk of things like that happening.
"It's something that the players are taught all the time, we always have people coming in and giving us lectures about drugs and things like that.
"The player welfare of Michael Talia is obviously the first priority and I don't know all the facts, it's obviously a very sensitive subject.
"Until it happens here I don't have to deal with it, but if it does, hopefully I can learn from the way the Swans are dealing with it."
Ward brings up a milestone this week against Port Adelaide, when he becomes the first player to play 100 games for the Giants.
The 26-year-old has been remarkably durable since crossing from the Western Bulldogs as one of the club's first established player signings, playing 99 of a possible 104 games since GWS entered the competition at the start of the 2012 season.
The tough midfielder has also been extremely consistent with his on-field performances, winning the inaugural Giants' best and fairest, and finishing on the podium in all three years since.
Adding to Ward's growing resume of trivia night facts, he was also the first GWS player to kick a goal in the AFL.
"To come to a new club as a 21-year-old from the Western Bulldogs I didn't know what to expect, so to play 100 games is something I'll forever be proud of," he said.
"The first year I got here we hardly had any changerooms, we were getting smashed every week, and it was really hard to back up on a Monday with a smile on your face.
"Especially in that first game it felt like I was playing with a bunch of kids.
"Even myself, I was 21 and trying to be co-captain of a footy club, so it's just amazing to see how far we've come."
The Giants can expect an early physical onslaught from the Power if Port Adelaide's win over North Melbourne last Saturday is anything to go by, with that result leaving the door slightly open for Port to make a late charge for a finals berth.
Port sits two games behind the eighth-placed Kangaroos on the ladder with six games remaining in the home-and-away season, and Ward is prepared for a furious start to this week's clash.
"This is probably the most finals-like game we've come across in the last month or two," Ward said.
"Port Adelaide are playing really good, tough footy, which is what we like to play against, good contested footy.
"I'm expecting a really hard contest at their home ground. I think they'll start really hard early and think they're right to get us."
