Prediction 2024 GWS Giants - Predicted best 22, breakout player(s), general player/team discussion & questions

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GWS GIANTS

Aaron Cadman
(four goals) lodged a promising display against the Swans on Thursday, registering 13 possessions and two marks in an all-round display. The second-year key-position player also notched a couple of hit-outs across five centre-bounce visits, teasing a capability to run through the midfield as a second ruck. The 19-year-old played 12 senior games in his maiden campaign for a modest return of six goals, but he appears to be putting his hand up for a bigger workload this year and seems poised for an Opening Round berth against the Magpies.

Jacob Wehr also put his best foot forward, collecting 19 disposals (14 effective) and six marks – with 11 of those possessions coming in the final term. Wehr – who was in the wars last season after breaking his shoulder – is contending with the likes of Finn Callaghan and Harry Perryman for a spot on one of Adam Kingsley’s wings. Interestingly, both Callaghan (shoulder) and Perryman (hamstring) are battling injuries ahead of GWS’ meeting with Collingwood, leaving the 25-year-old Wehr with a serious case to play on March 9.

GWS Academy selection Harvey Thomas (14 effective disposals from 18 possessions) was buzzing around against the Swans as a high-half-forward. Last year’s Pick 59 is unlikely to feature much for the Giants in his debut season amid a talented crop of Giants small forwards, but he certainly put his name out into the atmosphere.

Darcy Jones, 2022 first-round draftee, didn’t play against the Swans after an impressive pre-season. The 19-year-old has elicited rave reviews after his maiden season was spent on the sidelines following an ACL rupture.
 
I have a question. I don't where the best place to post it is but I hope here will be ok:

Which Giants Academy graduates have played the most games?
 

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I don't know whether to be happy or sorry to report to you in that case that it's not any of the players you mention. It has to be Harry Cunningham who has played 33 games more than Harry Himmelberg (185 v 152 - based on footywire stats). Hopefully you are pleased to hear there is an Academy graduate closing in on 200 - but I can appreciate there may be some chagrin that he plays for us. For myself, I'm delighted, of course.

If things go well hopefully Harry C will rack up 200 games in round 15 this season. Harry is an absolutely top bloke and has won our best clubman award a couple of times and been finalist in the Jimmy Stynes Community Leadership award. One of my personal favourites.
 
I don't know whether to be happy or sorry to report to you in that case that it's not any of the players you mention. It has to be Harry Cunningham who has played 33 games more than Harry Himmelberg (185 v 152 - based on footywire stats). Hopefully you are pleased to hear there is an Academy graduate closing in on 200 - but I can appreciate there may be some chagrin that he plays for us. For myself, I'm delighted, of course.

If things go well hopefully Harry C will rack up 200 games in round 15 this season. Harry is an absolutely top bloke and has won our best clubman award a couple of times and been finalist in the Jimmy Stynes Community Leadership award. One of my personal favourites.
Sorry …. But games played for Sydney are scaled by 50% as the ground is so small
 
I don't know whether to be happy or sorry to report to you in that case that it's not any of the players you mention. It has to be Harry Cunningham who has played 33 games more than Harry Himmelberg (185 v 152 - based on footywire stats). Hopefully you are pleased to hear there is an Academy graduate closing in on 200 - but I can appreciate there may be some chagrin that he plays for us. For myself, I'm delighted, of course.

If things go well hopefully Harry C will rack up 200 games in round 15 this season. Harry is an absolutely top bloke and has won our best clubman award a couple of times and been finalist in the Jimmy Stynes Community Leadership award. One of my personal favourites.
I think it is great.
The Giants had an opportunity to select and didn't, so I'm glad that he went on and forged a terrific career elsewhere.
It's good for both the academy and the kid (who is no longer a kid)
 
I have a question. I don't where the best place to post it is but I hope here will be ok:

Which Giants Academy graduates have played the most games?
Alex Carey, with 310 plus another 141 representing his country.

Josh Green with 215 is doing better than I expected too, in just four seasons.
 
GWS Academy selection Harvey Thomas (14 effective disposals from 18 possessions) was buzzing around against the Swans as a high-half-forward. Last year’s Pick 59 is unlikely to feature much for the Giants in his debut season…

Picked for round 1.

Might be featuring a bit more than they thought.
 
Alex Carey, with 310 plus another 141 representing his country.

Josh Green with 215 is doing better than I expected too, in just four seasons.
I didnt realise Josh Green was in our academy

He is exceptional.
 

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I didnt realise Josh Green was in our academy

He is exceptional.
Watching him play for the Mavs makes me dream about seeing him in the orange and black, but you can't argue with the choice he made! At the end of his current contract he'll have made $45m.
 
Watching him play for the Mavs makes me dream about seeing him in the orange and black, but you can't argue with the choice he made! At the end of his current contract he'll have made $45m.
I'm from Penrith, we definitely claim him as one of ours :)
He is amazing.
 
Nice article in the AFL website today about Buckley, and the general ethos of our team.

Alongside his former housemate in Taylor, Buckley has flourished since breaking back into the Giants team at the start of last season following a horror injury run.

He may still be four games shy of 50 AFL games but with Taylor he has strong claims to rival Melbourne's Steven May and Jake Lever as the best key defensive combination in the competition.


 
Nice article in the AFL website today about Buckley, and the general ethos of our team.

Alongside his former housemate in Taylor, Buckley has flourished since breaking back into the Giants team at the start of last season following a horror injury run.

He may still be four games shy of 50 AFL games but with Taylor he has strong claims to rival Melbourne's Steven May and Jake Lever as the best key defensive combination in the competition.


Sammy and Bucks are better than the Melbourne pair simply because Lever is massively overrated
 
I've been watching the Contested 1-on-1 data since the start of the year, but wasn't going to highlight it yet; it's only 4 games. But the media likes to talk up players, so they've put out this story highlighting Sam Taylor's remarkable skills. Well done, though, as they've also highlighted Jack Buckley's good work.

CDOOO stats.png


IF THERE was any doubt that Sam Taylor is one of the best - if not the best - key defenders in the competition, his opening month of the season has silenced that doubt. Taylor's Greater Western Sydney is one of three teams with a 4-0 record heading into round five, with the unbeaten start built in large part on its stingy defence. Leading the way down back has been Taylor, who ranks No.1 in the competition for intercept marks, intercept possessions, contested marks and contested defensive one-on-ones.

[PLAYERCARD]Sam Taylor[/PLAYERCARD] stats.png

Remarkably, Champion Data has logged Taylor as having been involved in 15 contested defensive one-on-ones this season and he has not lost a single one of them. Speaking on Access All Areas recently, Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd labelled Taylor the best defender in the competition and likened him to Geelong legend Matthew Scarlett.

"There's a lot of players around the comp who need to watch him play," Lloyd said. "I'm talking about Darcy Moore, Jeremy Howe, James Sicily - go and watch how a proper defender plays the game. The word is called defender for a reason; you defend first and attack second. Too many guys cheat in the way they play the game and it's all about offence and not about defence. That's why (Taylor) is the No.1 defender in the game. I played on Matthew Scarlett ... and I liken Matthew Scarlett to Sam Taylor."

Taylor has been well supported this season by teammate Jack Buckley, who is also rated elite for intercept marks and contested marks.


Jack Buckley stats.png

Buckley says Taylor's ability to win one-on-one contests and take marks rather than leaving his man to intercept is what sets his teammate apart. "It's certainly not lost on anyone at the Giants that having the best backman in the comp is a really good thing to have," Buckley toldAFL.com.au last week. "And to be able to play alongside that down in the backline certainly fills you with a lot of confidence. The great thing about Sam is that he's not just an intercept defender, he beats his man first and then marks it. Most of the marks come in one-on-one contests, which is pretty rare. I think you'll find most of the other high intercept mark getters tend to come off their man and mark it, whereas he beats his man and then marks it on him. I definitely think he's the best going around, so to be able to play alongside that is certainly a privilege."
 
A discussion around the best midfields in afl.com.au. Obviously, it's not quite "cut & dried" as players flow in and out, injuries disrupt teams etc. This is based on AFL Player Ratings averaged for 3 midfield players chosen by afl.com.au as each team's primary centre-square combination, so a fairly simplistic treatment overall.


2024 AFL PLAYER RATINGS AVERAGE​

SydneyIsaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Errol Gulden19.0
Port AdelaideZak Butters, Connor Rozee, Jason Horne-Francis17.7
Western BulldogsMarcus Bontempelli, Adam Treloar, Tom Liberatore17.2
Greater Western SydneyStephen Coniglio, Tom Green, Josh Kelly16.3
MelbourneJack Viney, Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca15.6
HawthornJai Newcombe, Conor Nash, James Worpel14.6
Gold CoastNoah Anderson, Matt Rowell, Touk Miller14.5
North MelbourneLuke Davies-Uniacke, Tom Powell, George Wardlaw14.5
CarltonGeorge Hewett, Patrick Cripps, Adam Cerra14.2
FremantleCaleb Serong, Hayden Young, Andrew Brayshaw14.2
EssendonZach Merrett, Archie Perkins, Will Setterfield13.9
BrisbaneJosh Dunkley, Lachie Neale, Hugh McCluggage13.6
West CoastTim Kelly, Elliot Yeo, Harley Reid13.3
AdelaideJordan Dawson, Matt Crouch, Rory Laird12.3
RichmondTim Taranto, Thomson Dow, Shai Bolton12.0
St KildaJack Steele, Seb Ross, Marcus Windhager11.6
CollingwoodJordan De Goey, Nick Daicos, Scott Pendlebury11.4
GeelongPatrick Dangerfield, Jhye Clark, Tanner Bruhn9.4


THE LEAGUE'S BEST FOR …​

Stoppage Score Differential: Melbourne (+17)
Clearance Differential: Port Adelaide (+7.2)
Centre Clearance Differential: Port Adelaide (+5)
Contested Possession Differential: Greater Western Sydney (+15.5)
Total Clearances Success: Port Adelaide (46.2%)
 
A discussion around the best midfields in afl.com.au. Obviously, it's not quite "cut & dried" as players flow in and out, injuries disrupt teams etc. This is based on AFL Player Ratings averaged for 3 midfield players chosen by afl.com.au as each team's primary centre-square combination, so a fairly simplistic treatment overall.


2024 AFL PLAYER RATINGS AVERAGE​

SydneyIsaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Errol Gulden19.0
Port AdelaideZak Butters, Connor Rozee, Jason Horne-Francis17.7
Western BulldogsMarcus Bontempelli, Adam Treloar, Tom Liberatore17.2
Greater Western SydneyStephen Coniglio, Tom Green, Josh Kelly16.3
MelbourneJack Viney, Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca15.6
HawthornJai Newcombe, Conor Nash, James Worpel14.6
Gold CoastNoah Anderson, Matt Rowell, Touk Miller14.5
North MelbourneLuke Davies-Uniacke, Tom Powell, George Wardlaw14.5
CarltonGeorge Hewett, Patrick Cripps, Adam Cerra14.2
FremantleCaleb Serong, Hayden Young, Andrew Brayshaw14.2
EssendonZach Merrett, Archie Perkins, Will Setterfield13.9
BrisbaneJosh Dunkley, Lachie Neale, Hugh McCluggage13.6
West CoastTim Kelly, Elliot Yeo, Harley Reid13.3
AdelaideJordan Dawson, Matt Crouch, Rory Laird12.3
RichmondTim Taranto, Thomson Dow, Shai Bolton12.0
St KildaJack Steele, Seb Ross, Marcus Windhager11.6
CollingwoodJordan De Goey, Nick Daicos, Scott Pendlebury11.4
GeelongPatrick Dangerfield, Jhye Clark, Tanner Bruhn9.4

THE LEAGUE'S BEST FOR …​

Stoppage Score Differential: Melbourne (+17)
Clearance Differential: Port Adelaide (+7.2)
Centre Clearance Differential: Port Adelaide (+5)
Contested Possession Differential: Greater Western Sydney (+15.5)
Total Clearances Success: Port Adelaide (46.2%)
Definitely a bit simplistic. From what we saw on the weekend our midfield should not be above Gold Coast's.
 
Definitely a bit simplistic. From what we saw on the weekend our midfield should not be above Gold Coast's.

no hurt factor from the GC mids. GWS mids came out comfortably on top.
GWS/GCS
Score involvement - 30/21
I50 - 21/10
Metres 1470/772
Disposals 77/82
Cont poss - 25/32 (Rowell = 19)
Clearance - 12/16
Tackles - 16/6
 
This article articulates some of the reasons why Kingers won't be dropping Toby Bedford, no matter that some of our fans think he is not contributing enough.


IT DIDN'T take long for Toby Bedford to be awed by his new partner in the Giants' attack.

When the small forward arrived from Melbourne at the end of the 2022 season, his instant impression of new teammate Brent Daniels was one of excitement at what they could soon achieve together. It's therefore little wonder the duo has become the League's most thrilling attacking pair.

Bedford and Daniels combine speed, agility, power, pressure and goals. Together, among a settled Giants forward line, they have helped Adam Kingsley revolutionise the way his side plays its footy. They are also a demonstration of how quickly two players can alter a team's trajectory.

Bedford and Daniels have provided Kingsley with the small forward spark that was a staple at his former club, Richmond, where the Giants coach aided Damien Hardwick in two of the team's three premierships in 2019 and 2020.

Bedford, for the most part, provides the pressure. According to Champion Data, he currently rates 'elite' for tackles this year (3.8 per game) and 'above average' for forward-half pressure points (26.5).

Daniels, meanwhile, is the gloss. Champion Data's stats rate him as 'elite' for disposals (18.2), uncontested possessions (13.0), score assists (2.0) and score involvements (2.8), as well as 'above average' for AFL Player Ratings points (10.9), forward-50 marks (1.4), forward-half pressure points (31.7) and goals (1.4).

BD stats.png

Together, they've formed part of a dangerous Giants forward line that also includes superstar Toby Greene, Coleman Medal leader Jesse Hogan, the athletic Callum Brown, former No.1 pick Aaron Cadman and the strong-marking Jake Riccardi.

Academy graduate Harvey Thomas has also impressed since coming into the side this season, while there are high hopes for former first-round pick Darcy Jones following his return from an ACL injury last season. Jones continues to press for a senior debut, finishing with 22 disposals and two goals in the VFL last weekend.

"Hopefully, that Darcy debut will happen sometime soon," Bedford said. "And with Harvey as well, we've got great stocks competing for those small forward roles. It's pretty competitive for those spots. It's a really exciting period for the club in terms of our small forwards."
 
There's no rush to get Jones in but I did catch a little bit of his VFL game and he looked explosive and damaging.....until getting tackled by the 5th player that attempted to grab him.
Gotta stay with Harvey at this stage though.
Unless they want to throw him on a wing instead of Wehr.
 
There's no rush to get Jones in but I did catch a little bit of his VFL game and he looked explosive and damaging.....until getting tackled by the 5th player that attempted to grab him.
Gotta stay with Harvey at this stage though.
Unless they want to throw him on a wing instead of Wehr.
I wonder how his tank is. I think his disposal is definitely there to play wing minutes
 

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