By Peter Ryan

WHILE all the focus has been on the Giants' blue-chip recruits, one of its more important players in 2012 will be 24-year-old ruckman Jonathan Giles.

Giles' story is more blue collar than blue chip. He spent four years on Port Adelaide's list without playing a senior AFL game.

Two years later he is poised to play in the ruck for the Giants tonight, with his parents watching on from the sidelines.

That might explain why he carried a grin as wide as a storm front on Thursday at the Giants' training base. He has earned another chance and hopes to make the most of it, with the NAB Cup just the start of what he hopes will become regular AFL football.

"When you get delisted you hit rock bottom," he said. "And you start thinking: 'Was that my chance?' You do doubt yourself. You have a couple of weeks to think and all you want to do is get back out there and play. I really thought I could still offer something at an AFL club."

Luckily for Giles, the GWS recruiting staff shared his thoughts.

The rebuilding path was long. It began alongside his good mate, Fremantle's Nick Lower. Both had been delisted at the same time at the end of 2009.

As the two regularly caught up for coffee and mused on what path their lives should take, they realised they both still held an inner belief that their AFL dreams weren't over.

They began training together when possible, and pushing each other, maintaining motivation and enjoying the mini-challenges in front of them.

Lower finished second in the Magarey Medal in 2010 and the Dockers gave him a second crack at the AFL.

Giles had a very good year with Sturt in 2010 too, so GWS placed him on its rookie list in 2011. He was one of just three mature age players at the club last year (with Israel Folau being one), a real Giant among the minnows as they played in the NEAFL.

He therefore took on more responsibility than he ever had to before and supported the youngsters where and when he could. The reward was real. He found himself on the Giants' senior list in 2012.

Giles carries a laconic outlook and a quick mind. They're handy assets in the new environment. "Sydney is crazy compared to Adelaide - it is just so much bigger and busier," he said. "There are a few more cars on the road."

He laughs as he realises the line he just tapped out is the understatement of the interview.

Although Giles admits he is excited about the prospect of playing AFL football in a little over a month, he is not nervous. He knows more about himself and his game than he ever did at Port Adelaide, where he arrived as a skinny 17-year-old from the small South Australian town of Kapunda.

"I'm a lot better for those years at Port," he said. "I'm a lot better for getting delisted. I'm a lot better for changing to Sturt (from Central District where he played in two premierships). Each little hurdle you have, you get better and are more confident to the point where feel that you are ready to take on the next challenge, which is AFL."

He sounds like a ruckman who has had the chance to better understand his craft without the constant pressure of playing AFL football.

Having played in the NAB Cup last year, he learned plenty and performed well enough and knows, to some extent, what to expect. But he knows the learning never stops. His pre-season has been good. The painful morning he endured running up the Cronulla sand dunes is just one event of many burned in the memory. "They were ridiculous in terms of how steep they were," he said.

Giles is now in the deep end. In a little over a month he may make his AFL debut. He's just one of just four players on the club's list standing at 200 centimetres or above, so the opportunity exists. Of the other three, Dean Brogan came out of retirement to go again, Andrew Phillips is a rookie and Tom Downie is a project player.

Brogan, of course, was a former teammate, as was Chad Cornes. The Port Adelaide flavour continues with Mark Williams as an assistant coach. "It's funny how things work out," said Giles. "It is a mini-Port (Adelaide) reunion in a way."

The good relationship Giles and Brogan had at Port has continued at the new club. Brogan is a mentor and a friend, his expertise rubbing off on Giles.

The time has come for Giles. A lot rests on his big, sturdy shoulders. Having believed and persisted, he already has reason to be proud of his efforts.
He knows he is as prepared as he can be. There is little else one can do.