Land of the Giants
Premiership Player
What a season this has been.
The first thing I wanted to say was how immensely proud I am to be part of our club, and of the calibre of people associated with it.
There are many fine examples of this, but I think the way we all stayed strong during yesterday's Grand Final presentation, and showed respect for an opponent who had reduced many of us to tears said a lot. It did not go unnoticed.
There have been so many highs and lows in 2019, it is hard to know where to start, so perhaps we can look at what worked, what didn't, and what needs more work.
What Worked
- We played in our maiden Grand Final
- We won our first interstate final
- We won our first final at the MCG
These would be the main achievements, as we exist to win premierships, and there won't be any if we can't win finals away from home. They were all achieved despite losing our inspirational captain Callan Ward for most of the year, and the equally inspirational Stephen Coniglio late in the season.
We re-signed a number of key players we really wanted to keep
At the top of this list was Coniglio, an outstanding person who has decided to become a Giant for life.
Others who re-signed include Josh Kelly, Nick Haynes, Harry Himmelberg, Jacob Hopper, Brent Daniels, Matt De Boer, and Tim Taranto. Tim in particular was a revelation this year, and one of the few Giants who can hold his head high following the Grand Final.
Record Membership
We've persuaded more than 30,000 people to give us some money.
While there have been legitimate questions about the credibility of those numbers, the size of the contingent at the Grand Final will probably silence the doubters for a while.
The Pre-Match Functions
I've been to some pretty good pre-match functions in recent years, but the one at the Coopers Inn before the Grand Final deserves special mention. Wall-to-wall orange, great vibe, and when the club song came on, BOOM! Can't wait for the next one!
What Didn't Work
Inconsistency
When we're good, we're very, very good. Our response in Round 4 when Ward went down was inspirational. We followed it up at the end of the season with two very similar and outstanding finals victories away from home.
But when we're bad, we're worse than horrid. What happened in the Grand Final, while devastating, should not have surprised anyone. It has happened too many times before, and not just this season.
Against Hawthorn in Round 12 at the MCG and again in Round 21, and then against the Bulldogs Round 22, we either didn't turn up to play, or just stopped playing. The goal-scoring dries up. Why? It has happened too often to be a coincidence. What triggers these failures? This question needs an urgent answer.
Our Canberra bubble has well and truly burst
Losing unexpectedly to Fremantle in Round 5 was bad enough, but the non-effort against the Hawks in Round 21 was an insult to the Canberra loyalists who braved freezing conditions to watch it.
We need a long-term ruckman
Mummy has been great, and the decision to re-sign him this year was a gamble that basically worked, but we need to replace him with someone who will go the distance for a number of years. Sam Jacobs is a welcome addition to the list, but he's only short-term, signed to plug a gap while we find out if Flynn and Briggs develop.
A word of caution
It's not unusual for clubs that suffer big Grand Final defeats to go into a downward spiral. I don't think that we will suffer that fate, because we're a very well managed club, and the players are intelligent enough to prevent it from happening.
Onwards and Upwards
I really feel we've come of age as a football club this year, we have a lot to look forward to. Our maiden flag cannot be far away.
It's been a privilege writing the previews, and they don't get any easier, so thanks to you all for the continuing support.
Go Giants!
The first thing I wanted to say was how immensely proud I am to be part of our club, and of the calibre of people associated with it.
There are many fine examples of this, but I think the way we all stayed strong during yesterday's Grand Final presentation, and showed respect for an opponent who had reduced many of us to tears said a lot. It did not go unnoticed.
There have been so many highs and lows in 2019, it is hard to know where to start, so perhaps we can look at what worked, what didn't, and what needs more work.
What Worked
- We played in our maiden Grand Final
- We won our first interstate final
- We won our first final at the MCG
These would be the main achievements, as we exist to win premierships, and there won't be any if we can't win finals away from home. They were all achieved despite losing our inspirational captain Callan Ward for most of the year, and the equally inspirational Stephen Coniglio late in the season.
We re-signed a number of key players we really wanted to keep
At the top of this list was Coniglio, an outstanding person who has decided to become a Giant for life.
Others who re-signed include Josh Kelly, Nick Haynes, Harry Himmelberg, Jacob Hopper, Brent Daniels, Matt De Boer, and Tim Taranto. Tim in particular was a revelation this year, and one of the few Giants who can hold his head high following the Grand Final.
Record Membership
We've persuaded more than 30,000 people to give us some money.
While there have been legitimate questions about the credibility of those numbers, the size of the contingent at the Grand Final will probably silence the doubters for a while.
The Pre-Match Functions
I've been to some pretty good pre-match functions in recent years, but the one at the Coopers Inn before the Grand Final deserves special mention. Wall-to-wall orange, great vibe, and when the club song came on, BOOM! Can't wait for the next one!
What Didn't Work
Inconsistency
When we're good, we're very, very good. Our response in Round 4 when Ward went down was inspirational. We followed it up at the end of the season with two very similar and outstanding finals victories away from home.
But when we're bad, we're worse than horrid. What happened in the Grand Final, while devastating, should not have surprised anyone. It has happened too many times before, and not just this season.
Against Hawthorn in Round 12 at the MCG and again in Round 21, and then against the Bulldogs Round 22, we either didn't turn up to play, or just stopped playing. The goal-scoring dries up. Why? It has happened too often to be a coincidence. What triggers these failures? This question needs an urgent answer.
Our Canberra bubble has well and truly burst
Losing unexpectedly to Fremantle in Round 5 was bad enough, but the non-effort against the Hawks in Round 21 was an insult to the Canberra loyalists who braved freezing conditions to watch it.
We need a long-term ruckman
Mummy has been great, and the decision to re-sign him this year was a gamble that basically worked, but we need to replace him with someone who will go the distance for a number of years. Sam Jacobs is a welcome addition to the list, but he's only short-term, signed to plug a gap while we find out if Flynn and Briggs develop.
A word of caution
It's not unusual for clubs that suffer big Grand Final defeats to go into a downward spiral. I don't think that we will suffer that fate, because we're a very well managed club, and the players are intelligent enough to prevent it from happening.
Onwards and Upwards
I really feel we've come of age as a football club this year, we have a lot to look forward to. Our maiden flag cannot be far away.
It's been a privilege writing the previews, and they don't get any easier, so thanks to you all for the continuing support.
Go Giants!