Tim Taranto, one of the GIANTS’ brightest prospects, said he learned the most during the darkest times of his debut season.
The 19-year-old would debut in round one after an impressive JLT Community Series, kick his first goal in round six and claim a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination in round eight.
He called his round one debut “unexpected” and “a dream come true”, but that dream would turn sour in his 12th game, the GIANTS’ round 14 win over Brisbane.
The exciting midfielder went down midway through the third quarter and after trying to push through the pain of a high ankle injury, would undergo surgery in the week following and miss the next two months of football.
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“It took me a couple of weeks and I finally started to feel like part of the team and was playing better footy each week which was great,” he said.
“Having a serious ankle injury, you take a step back and really look at how you are going and find new ways to work
“You learn a lot about yourself while all the other boys are playing and you’re on the sidelines.”
With the GIANTS experiencing a horror run with injuries, the GIANTS’ first pick in the 2016 NAB AFL Draft found himself in the rehab group alongside some of the biggest names in the game.
Taranto took advantage of that time alongside some of his more experienced teammates.
“That was another way to create more relationships with the older boys,” he said.
“I try and model my game on how Ryan Griffen plays, so it was great to hang out with him a bit more and Jezza Cameron was in there, so I got to become good friends with him too.”
As Taranto returned through the GIANTS’ NEAFL side, the AFL team was headed for a top four finish and his chances of returning before or during finals were, at the time, looking unlikely.
“With the surgery timeline, it was going to be pretty tight as to whether or not finals were still going to be a chance,” he told GIANTS TV.
“I was pretty nervous, there were some days when I thought there was no way, some dark days.
“Then you had your good days and luckily enough it went pretty well and the physios did well by me and I got back which was awesome.”
The exciting midfielder’s hard work and professionalism in rehab saw him make a return to the GIANTS’ side for two finals, including the GIANTS’ preliminary final in front of 94,000 at the MCG.
“It was a different energy out there it was great to win against West Coast in front of our fans and play really well,” he said.
“To play on the ‘G, which was my first game there, in front of such a big crowd was quite the experience.”
Taranto will begin his second pre-season next month but not before taking a well-deserved holiday.
“I’m heading off to Bali, I’ll have a nice break, do a bit of training and come back ready to go. I’m just going to try and have a better year than this year and keep on developing.”
