The GIANTS have successfully launched their exclusive Members Connect series, presented by Toyo Tires and Virgin Australia. 

60 lucky members had the opportunity to ask their questions directly to Chief Executive David Matthews and Head Coach Leon Cameron during a video conference held on Wednesday night.

The conference was scheduled to run for 45-minutes however when the time was up, Leon Cameron called play on with the two senior figures answering every question thrown at them for close to 100 minutes. 

Members got into the spirit of the occasion by dressing up in the match day attire - face paint and all. 

The wide-ranging conversation covered topics such as keeping the players motivated, the proposed hubs, private ownership and tips for budding young coaches. 

While the video conference is for members eyes only, here’s a sneak peek of the transcript from last night: 

Member Jenny Lambert: Hi Leon. I was just wondering, as a club with the Grand Final last year, what's the big lesson that we've learned that we can take into the next final series?

Leon Cameron: Great question Jenny. And I think the biggest thing we learned is that we love playing in September. Part of it will be marred because of the last Saturday, but I was really proud of our guys coming from sixth spot and winning three finals. And then ultimately we let ourselves down on the last Saturday. And that hurt a lot.

The learnings are that we love the week. Did we get overawed? I mean, the scoreboard probably says so. But maybe, we were probably a little bit banged up when we went into the game. Playing three games and two of them on the road. But Richmond were a really good team. And you've got to acknowledge the opposition. They played a great brand that day. And you actually have to learn off how they prepared.

But equally you'd never hand it (the opportunity) back because it's all great learnings. And I'm not a believer of that you have to lose one to win one. Because there's a lot of sides that have won one before they've lost one. What I am a believer of is that we walked away from September a really proud club. We take the learnings that we have learned. And we put them in place into this year. Which we clearly know is a unique year currently we're in. But when the ball bounces again, it's still a game of footy and hopefully we're ready to go.

Moderator: Thanks Jenny. The next question is from Jeremy.

Member Jeremy Onga: Hi Dave. Because everyone's talking about the Gold Coast being a hub, and we've got GIANTS Stadium and Olympic Park, do you reckon that could be a good footy hub and everyone could stay around there and play games at the stadium?

CEO Dave Matthews: Yeah, I think so, absolutely Jeremy. I think the key for us at the moment is to quietly work behind the scenes with the AFL and make sure they understand everything that's required for a hub model is in Sydney. The Gold Coast in Queensland is being talked up. Sometimes these topics get prominence in the media depending on who's interviewed last. So I think when I was in a discussion last week with some journalists, Tom Harley from the Swans and I said we had been in a lot of discussions with the AFL saying, well, you've got everything you need, particularly in our case.

So put aside the SCG, which is obviously available, but GIANTS Stadium is in the precinct, purpose built for these sort of events. In addition, you've got Blacktown, which is incredibly well equipped for a broadcast and a surface point of view for these sorts of games which are going to feature no crowd.

So, I think Sydney is absolutely in the frame for it. But it still remains to be seen whether a hub model is required. If in the coming days or next week or two, Government relax some of the restrictions, it may well be that we go back to the format that we saw in round one. 

Following the success of the premiere event, the GIANTS will look to continue the Members Connect series, presented by Toyo Tires and Virgin Australia in May.

Even with the games on hold, there are plenty of benefits like this that makes becoming a GIANTS member a great purchase for yourself, a colleague or a loved one. 

GIANTS members, make sure you open tonight’s weekly newsletter to view the full video of our inaugural Members Connect forum. To flag your interest in being part of the next Connect Series presented by Toyo Tires and Virgin Australia, complete the form below.