GREATER Western Sydney made a big, big sound in the lead-up to the 2019 Toyota AFL Grand Final, but it's a match the club prefers to keep quiet about now as it moves on from the 89-point thumping by Richmond.
The Giants have made great strides to do just that, on the field at least, with less than half of the team from that disastrous day set to take on the Tigers again at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.
The dramatic player turnover in a little over 18 months has been triggered by the departures of several star Giants, as well as untimely injuries to some still at the club.
The club's all-time leading goalkicker Jeremy Cameron moved on last year in a lucrative trade after the Giants matched Geelong's offer to the restricted free agent.
Zac Williams, Aidan Corr and Adam Tomlinson were able to leave as free agents, and Heath Shaw has retired, leaving the Giants' defence noticeably short on experience compared to the 2019 version.
For that year's premiers, Brandon Ellis is the only player to leave the Tigers as he moved to Gold Coast as a free agent.
Both teams will enter their first meeting in Melbourne since the Grand Final clash with a host of players sidelined through injury.
The Giants will line up without their Grand Final skipper Phil Davis, All-Australian Nick Haynes and useful role players Matt de Boer, Brent Daniels, Sam Reid and Adam Kennedy.
Tall forward Jeremy Finlayson will miss through suspension, while Shane Mumford is expected to be rested, which would leave the Giants with only nine players this weekend from their Grand Final team.
The Tigers' midfield will look very different from the one that lifted the 2019 premiership cup without skipper Trent Cotchin, Shane Edwards, Dion Prestia, Kane Lambert and Shai Bolton. Ruckman Ivan Soldo is also sidelined as he recovers from a ruptured ACL.
Josh Caddy has been out of the side since being an unused medical sub in round four but will be strongly considered for selection with the Tigers desperate for more midfield experience.
Star defender Dylan Grimes will return after recovering from concussion sustained in the round seven win over Western Bulldogs, meaning the Tigers will run out this weekend with 15 players who won the flag in 2019.
The Giants to come into the team in the past 18 months includes Callan Ward, who was co-captain in 2019 but missed all but 10 minutes of the season with a torn ACL.
But otherwise, the Giants have turned to youth. Tanner Bruhn (18 years old), Conor Stone (19), Lachie Ash (19), Tom Green (20), Connor Idun (20), Xavier O'Halloran (20), Bobby Hill (21), Isaac Cumming (22), Jack Buckley (23) and Zach Sproule (23) played in the team that beat Essendon by two points last weekend, but don't carry the scars of playing in the Grand Final loss.
Kieren Briggs (21) can be added to the group of junior Giants, as the ruckman will make his debut against the Tigers.
The Richmond refresh has more of a blend of experience and youth, with Rhyan Mansell (20), Jack Ross (20), Riley Collier-Dawkins (21), Noah Balta (21), Jack Graham (23), Jake Aarts (26) and Kamdyn McIntosh (27) coming into the team and part of the 63-point loss to the Cats last week.
"That's done and dusted," Leon Cameron said this week about the 2019 Grand Final.
"It'll always be there because that's part of history, it's not a good part of history for us because we let ourselves down.
"But we're really proud of these young lads that have been testing themselves out against some really good quality opposition, and it's going to be no tougher than the Tigers on Saturday night."
