It’s the first day of June, 2010. It’s two years since the idea for the AFL’s 18th club was born after the league won the support of the 16 club presidents to establish a side in the west of Sydney.
It’s almost 12 months since Al McConnell became the club’s first employee and eight months since AFL legend Kevin Sheedy was lured out of retirement to become the new team’s inaugural coach.
Former Brisbane Lions Football Manager Graeme Allan has been named Football Manager and prominent infrastructure and engineering services leader Tony Shepherd has been appointed Chairman.
Known simply as ‘Team GWS’, the new club has no name, no colours, no Stadium, no facilities and not even an official AFL licence yet.
But it’s a landmark day for the new club, with the eyes of the football world and beyond on this new team who are announcing that they have lured Rugby League superstar Israel Folau to the AFL.
On that same day - June 1 - to much less fanfare, the club also announced it’s first three player signings.
One of those players was a 17-year-old who was a three-time All Australian, had captained the AIS Academy side and been labelled “an indigenous prodigy in the mould of Adelaide Crows superstar Andrew McLeod”.
Along with midfielders Sam Schulz and Mark Whiley from NSW’s Riverina, Curtly Hampton was signed to the new AFL club as a Northern Territory zone selection.
Hampton with Adelaide Crows legend Andrew McLeod and inaugural GIANTS coach Kevin Sheedy in 2013.
“Probably in year 11 there was talk about a team that was going to be formed here in Western Sydney but I never really thought about it too much,” Hampton told GIANTS TV, five years on.
“It was a pretty weird process. I was still in Adelaide doing year 12 at Emmanual College. All of a sudden I was signed to an AFL club but I was still at school. As soon as I finished I was probably here within a week and ever since then I’ve been here.”
Originally from Alice Springs, Hampton is the son of former Northern Territory Minister for Sport Karl Hampton and moved to Adelaide on a scholarship to give himself the best chance of making his AFL dream a reality.
“My mum and dad, I was brought up well, they taught me a lot of things when I was young,” Hampton said.
“One of the things was to take risks if you want to achieve your goals so that was something I did.
“I made a decision to move away from home when I was young to hopefully get picked up by an AFL club and then the transition wouldn’t be as hard. Alice to Adelaide was harder than the move from Adelaide to Sydney.”
In the months after he arrived in Western Sydney, the club had it’s name, colours and list of around 30 players who would play in the NEAFL in 2011.
“We used to be out at Rooty Hill and Blacktown and at the RSL club," Hampton said.
“We didn’t have any player lounge or facilities, we used the local gym. There’s at least eight to 10 of us still here from day one and the changes have been pretty big.
“When I moved here I didn’t know any one. There was a couple of boys I knew from the AIS but I’ve made lifelong friends.
“Adam Treloar and Nathan Wilson have been here from the start so I’ve been best mates with them for five years now and I’m sure we’re going to be mates for the rest of our lives.”
Hampton training with Israel Folau and other GIANTS players at Blacktown International Sportspark in late 2011.
From those who began with him in 2010, there are 10 players still at the GIANTS including Hampton, Treloar, Wilson, Dylan Shiel, Jeremy Cameron, Tommy Bugg, Andrew Phillips, Jacob Townsend, Tim Golds and Sam Schulz.
Fast forward five years later and now a dashing defender off the GIANTS’ half-back line, Hampton will become the 10th player to reach the 50-game milestone for the club against the Gold Coast on Saturday.
“It’s obviously pretty exciting for me and my family. It’s been four years so couldn’t come quick enough really,” he said.
“I was probably on-track to get it last year but then I got my shoulder injury obviously so it’s good to get it this year.”
Saturday’s match against the Gold Coast will be just his fourth AFL game of the season. Hampton played in round one before being dropped to the NEAFL to find some form. After a recall in round 14, he started last weekend as the sub but came on before half-time after a knee injury to Dylan Shiel.
“That was pretty hard, being in the NEAFL watching the boys go so well,” Hampton said.
“When I played I was a regular the first few years when we were losing and now we’re starting to win and I wasn’t in the team.
“When the bye happened I thought, there’s still the second half of the year and it’s probably more important than the first half because we could possibly play finals.
“I just said to myself, I’m going to try and do everything right, play the rest of the second half of the season and hopefully finals if we make it.”
With five years and 50 games already under his belt, there’s plenty more of Curtly Hampton’s story at the GIANTS still to be written.
The GIANTS play the Suns at Metricon Stadium on Saturday at 2.10pm with live coverage on Fox Sports 3 and 7mate in NSW and the ACT from 2.00pm. Follow the game live on the GIANTS Game Hub or keep up to date on Twitter and Facebook.
