It’s been eleven months since Tom Scully made his highly publicized move to the GIANTS, but as the talented midfielder prepares to face his former club for the second time, the 21 year old reveals he is relishing his leadership role and happily settled into his new home.

After a year that was plagued with injury and speculation, Scully has enjoyed an almost injury free 2012 and has racked up an average of 20 possessions across 17 games while playing a shut down role on some of the AFL’s biggest names.

“I’m feeling good actually. It’s been a new experience coming up here with the new side,” Scully said.

“I’ve been really happy. Coming from last year where I only played ten games and was hampered by injury all year, I had a pretty clear plan when I came here about wanting to complete all of pre season and I was fortunate enough to do that and get my body to where it needed to be.

“I’ve missed a couple of games through injury but other than that my body has been really good.”

Scully is enjoying being part of an extremely talented collection of youngsters.

With five of the GIANTS record seven NAB AFL Rising Star nominees coming from the midfield group; Scully says that there is a sense of excitement amongst the players and a work rate to match it.

“I’m really excited about the group and there are exciting times ahead for us.

“There are so many guys that have talent in that (midfield) area and that’s one thing but they all work really hard as well.

“I think that’s the great thing about the whole club, there is a great culture here and everyone is striving to get better.

“I think that in the future our midfield is going to be a big advantage for us because we’ve just got that many options and we don’t rely on too many guys.”

Leadership is something that the former number one draft-pick is clearly passionate about and he smiles when he talks about the progress of his younger teammates. He is well spoken, unassuming and sets a high benchmark for his ferocity and commitment to training but admits that, at only 21, he still has a lot to learn.

“I’m a younger player myself I suppose but the demographic of this group is so young that I’m a little bit older.

“I’m only in my third year so I’m still learning and trying to find my feet as well.

“I’ve taken on more of a leadership role this year. I haven’t been a big vocal presence in the group but I’ve done some work with some players one on one.

“I work closely with guys like Adam Treloar, Devon Smith and Taylor Adams. We try to push each other as much as we can.

“They’ve all had really good first years and I love working with them everyday,” Scully said.

One thing that a leadership role and new home has given Scully is a chance to come out of his shell.

The shy midfielder says that while he likes time alone, coming to the GIANTS has allowed him to spend plenty of time with his teammates socially and explore Sydney.

“For me being in the leadership group has made me come out of myself a little bit more. That’s something that I’ve got to continue to work on.

“I don’t give too much away (laughs). I like my own time. I like to get away from football.

“Football can become quite consuming so getting away from that and spending time by myself is good.

“I’ve got some really good mates at the club. I spend a lot of time with Dev Smith, Tay Adams and Rhys Palmer.

“I like going out and seeing new things, particularly living in Sydney. I love the Blue Mountains; I’ve been there about three or four times. Up at Katoomba they’ve got the three sisters it’s really nice.”

On Saturday, Scully will come up against his old club for the second time.

The first was a frosty reception in front of over 20,000 Melbourne fans at the MCG. The talented 21-year-old says that he won’t be worried about the Demons fans in the stands but will focus on what he can control, which is his football.

“It was always going to happen, that reception but it’s all out of my control and if it’s still going on it won’t worry me.

“The most disappointing thing was that we ended up getting beaten by a fair bit.

“This time we want to put up a better performance against them. They’ve only had three wins for the year and we’ve had two so they’ll be desperate for a win just as we are.

“We’re playing in Canberra this time. Generally we play pretty well in Canberra and we’ve got a good fan base down there.

“Hopefully this time we can see a few more GIANTS supporters than Melbourne supporters out there and outnumber them. That would be nice because we were certainly out numbered us last time.”

Scully praised GIANTS Co-Captain Luke Power who will line up in his 300th game against the Dees this weekend, saying that he was lucky to have someone of his experience and character at the club.

“I love Luke as a person and a player. You wouldn’t meet anyone who would say a bad word about Luke Power; he’s the type of guy that everyone loves.

“From a football point of view I’ve really enjoyed working with him. He’s playing his 300th game this week, which is a massive achievement.

“On the field he leads by example and in the coaching ranks he knows how to talk to the boys and the players love him. He’s been a great asset for this football club.”

When asked if he’s been the victim of any of Power’s practical jokes around the club, Scully laughs.

““No, he’s been pretty good to me but he’s a bit of a joker Lukey. He thinks he’s pretty funny but all the boys love him, he’s a really kind hearted guy.

“You need them in a group, there’s no doubt about that. If they were all like me it would be a pretty boring (laughs).

“I want to play the last three games and try to finish off the year on a good note.

“It will be a good challenge to see if we can not drop off before the finish line. There’s still a lot to play for.”

By Rebecca Mills