IN A season of multiple firsts for Greater Western Sydney, another prestigious one looms tantalisingly within reach.
With two more victories the Giants would secure an AFL flag faster than any non-Victorian club.
Locked in to a home preliminary final showdown with the Western Bulldogs on Saturday, the Giants are hurtling towards the end of their fifth season.
No club starting from scratch outside Victoria has won a flag that quickly.
A Giants premiership this year would also create another record as none of the non-Victorian clubs won a flag in their first finals campaign.
West Coast won its first flag in its sixth year in 1992 and added a second two years later.
The Eagles are the fastest non-Victorian club to win a premiership. Picture: AFL Photos
The two South Australian clubs got there almost as quickly, with Adelaide taking seven years and Port Adelaide eight.
The Giants were far from the fastest of the non-Victorian clubs to make a finals debut.
The Eagles made it in just their second season and the two South Australian clubs got there in their third.
Some clubs had longer growing pains.
Fremantle and the Brisbane Bears each had to wait until their ninth season before they got a taste of finals action.
The Brisbane Lions' extraordinary hat-trick of titles from 2001-2003 didn't materialise until they became the Lions, having merged with Fitzroy in 1996.
The two South Australian and West Australian clubs were built along different lines from the League's two youngest clubs, Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney, who were loaded with high draft picks but were relatively light on players with AFL experience.
"It (the list building method) was different, but whether the quality of player was any greater or less, that's subjective," said Giants general manager of football operations Wayne Campbell.
"But they didn't just go through the draft, they were given players essentially.
"Brisbane got the Fitzroy players that went up there that they could then either have or trade.
"It was done differently but all the sides had success relatively quickly.
"You look at Port Adelaide and Adelaide and West Coast when they came into the competition and when Fitzroy merged with Brisbane.
"They (all) had success in a relatively similar period of time (to the Giants), so it's not unprecedented."
ADELAIDE
Year entered comp: 1991
Flags won: Two (1997, 1998)
How many seasons to make first final: Three
How far in first finals campaign: Lost prelim final
BRISBANE (factors in Lions and Bears)
Year entered comp: 1987
Flags won: Three (2001, 2002, 2003)
How many seasons to make first final: Nine
How far in first finals campaign: Lost quarter-final
FREMANTLE
Year entered comp: 1995
Flags won: Zero
How many seasons to make first final: Nine
How far in first finals campaign: Lost elimination final
GOLD COAST
Year entered comp: 2011
Flags won: Zero
How many seasons to make first final: Yet to make finals
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY
Year entered comp: 2012
Flags won: Zero
How many seasons to make first final: Five
How far in first finals campaign: Through to prelim final
PORT ADELAIDE
Year entered comp: 1997
Flags won: One (2004)
How many seasons to make first finals: Three
How far in first finals campaign: Lost qualifying final
WEST COAST
Year entered comp: 1987
Flags won: Three (1992, 1994, 2006)
How many seasons to make first final: Two
How far in first finals campaign: Lost elimination final
