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.
Back in 2022, former coach Leon Cameron's last at the helm, neither stepped foot on the park for the GIANTS. Bedford was still at the Demons, where he was used as a substitute in 10 of 16 appearances, while Daniels was rehabilitating a debilitating foot injury and didn't manage a single game all year.
But, fast forward 12 months and the pair were among a GIANTS forward group that spearheaded the side from the League's bottom three into a remarkable preliminary final berth.
"Everyone talks about how good 'Binga' is. But, to be honest, I probably didn't realise how good he was until I came up here and saw him in pre-season. I thought, 'Oh shit … he really is that good'. He's a gun," Bedford told AFL.com.au.
"Obviously, I love playing with him. Sometimes he does some amazing things and you just go, 'Wow'. He's an amazing player.
"For how long he was out for, it was almost two years out with injury, then he came back last year and looked like he hasn't missed a beat. It's been unreal playing with him. We both play similar roles and you learn a lot from him."
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).
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."
Bedford was a highly sought-after player when he last came out of contract, having been offered a deal to stay at Melbourne as well as being chased by the GiIANTS and a number of other rival clubs.
But, having taken up an offer to join Kingsley and the GIANTS, he's now hopeful he'll follow in the footsteps of his former Demons teammates and feature in a premiership victory one day in the future.
Bedford didn't make a senior appearance throughout Melbourne's 2021 flag campaign, but watched closely as the club secured long-awaited success. He's hopeful the lessons he picked up will become valuable later this year.
"You can definitely learn from that experience," Bedford said.
"For me, personally, I was at Melbourne when they won the flag but I obviously didn't play. Being there, you see how much it means to all of the boys and how that premiership team is always going to be catching up throughout the rest of their lives, before every Grand Final. They're a premiership team. You want to be part of that.
"It does take a whole list to win a premiership and I understand that, but you definitely feel like that 22 or 23 that play, they get that premiership medal. That's something you want. For me, personally, I get a lot of motivation looking back at that.
"I've seen how good it is, especially for the boys that win it. You just want to win a premiership. Plus, you see how hard they worked. That year, they deserved it. Those boys who played, they trained so hard. Looking back at it, that 22 or 23 that won it, they definitely deserved it.
"But I feel like we're on the same kind of trajectory. We're training hard, we try not to take any shortcuts as a team, our culture is great. I just feel if we continue to work hard, we'll earn it."
