GREATER Western Sydney will enter the season with one of the smallest scouting teams in the competition after choosing not to replace banned recruiting manager Paul Brodie.

Brodie quit the club in November last year when he was suspended for 12 months for betting on a number of AFL matches, including one involving the Giants.

It meant the Giants lost list manager Stephen Silvagni and their recruiting manager in successive years, leaving the club to reshuffle its list management department.

Former Champion Data analyst Adrian Caruso has been promoted to be the club's recruiting coordinator, while Phil Scully, the father of GWS midfielder Tom, will continue in his role as one of its chief recruiters.

Head of football and list manager Graeme Allan took on a more hands-on role within the recruiting division last year in the absence of Silvagni, who left the club to join Carlton as its list manager.

The Giants' wealth of academy talent means the club structures its recruiting division differently to rivals.

They used all four of their selections at last year's NAB AFL Draft on local academy products, including three players in the first round – Jacob Hopper (pick No.7), Matt Kennedy (No.13) and Harrison Himmelberg (No.16).

The club has strong batches of academy prospects coming through over the next two drafts as well, giving it a chance to stockpile a more homegrown list with New South Wales talent.

Tall defender Harrison Macreadie already appears one of the most credentialed key position players in this year's draft and has moved to Sydney to be closer to the Giants' headquarters.

Zac Sproule, Will Setterfield and Kobe Mutch are also members of the NAB AFL Academy who are tied to the Giants, while Jarrod Brander, Nathan Richards and Charlie Spargo are among the talents available to the club in 2017.

Brodie was banned until December this year, but will be working for Stride Sports Management as a football consultant identifying the next wave of possible draftees. He had been linked to a move to Carlton before the suspension.