As we head into the mid-season break, I wanted to thank everyone for their support of the GIANTS so far in 2013.

While we have faced a challenging few months on the field, the club and its supporters can feel proud of a number of achievements this year. They include:

  • 12,624 Members – a 20 per cent increase on 2012 and an outstanding effort for a second year club
  • Average attendances in Sydney of 10,000 and our highest ever attendance in Canberra against St Kilda in round three
  • A naming rights agreement for Star Track Oval as we continue to build a strong base in Canberra which recently  hosted the AFL Hall of Fame for the first time
  • The opening of a new permanent training  at Sydney Olympic Park, Tom Wills Oval
  • The re-signing a number of key players to long term contracts including Jon Patton, Dom Tyson, Will Hoskin-Elliott,  Curtly Hampton, Sam Frost, Aidan Corr, Andrew Phillips and Liam Sumner
  • The debut of a number of young players including number one draft pick and NAB AFL Rising Star nominee Lachie Whitfield and Lachie Plowman
  • The elevation to senior football of the first player from the Slater & Gordon GIANTS Academy, Zac Williams

We have suffered a number of long-term injuries to key players as Chad Cornes, Jon Patton, Phil Davis, Dom Tyson, Andrew Phillips and Dean Brogan which have been big losses for the youngest side in the competition and impacted on our on-field performance.

While we are disappointed not to have brought up our first win yet, we have also seen some very encouraging signs such as our recent effort against ladder leader Geelong at ŠKODA Stadium and the emergence of Jeremy Cameron who has kicked 33 goals, including a club record of six against Essendon.

Our coaching staff, led by Head Coach Kevin Sheedy and Senior Assistant Coach Leon Cameron, are working hard on the development of our playing list as well as a smooth transition to Leon when he takes over next year.

After two drafts, we are assessing what our playing needs are for next year and we will be active in the trade period at the end of the season as we continue to build what we think will be a very competitive team to ensure long term, sustainable success.

Off the field we continue to attract strong corporate support as we grow our revenue base and forge new partnerships. We are particularly proud of the work we are doing in the community through the Lend Lease GIANT Community Footprint which is building our connection with the people of Western Sydney as well as regional NSW and the ACT.

This week our entire playing group has visited schools, hospitals and junior clubs to engage with the people of our region. This is a key pillar of our mission to build a great club that the people of NSW and the ACT can be proud of.

In recent weeks we have hosted  junior club matches at Skoda Stadium involving the Concord GIANTS, Holroyd Parramatta, Kellyville Magpies, Glebe Greyhounds, Hornsby and Westbrook this has been a great opportunity for young boys and girls to experience our world class stadium.

There is still much work to do and a lot to look forward to in the second half of the year, including:

  • The Prime Minister’s Cup and Cbus Building Australia match at Star Track Oval on July 6
  • Three home matches at ŠKODA Stadium against Essendon, Melbourne and Richmond
  • The return of a number of players from injury  including Phil Davis and Dom Tyson and highly rated draft selections Jono O’Rourke and Kristian Jaksch
  • The GIANTS Ladies Lunch at Star on July 12
  • Opening our new training and administration centre

 Thankyou again for your support and we look forward to seeing you after the break.


David Matthews 

CEO GWS Giants