Callan Ward had no idea there was a second new club entering the competition when he first heard that the GIANTS wanted him to play for them.

Ward – in his fourth season with the Western Bulldogs when he was approached as an out-of-contract player – was then staggered that the club would have any interest in him.

Nine years after signing on, the original co-captain reflects on the biggest decision of his career in the latest episode of Becoming GIANT, presented by Bingo Industries.

Ward first learned of the GIANTS’ interest in him around the middle of the 2011 season, during a catch-up with his manager Paul Connors.

As a kid who had grown up in Spotswood before being drafted to the Bulldogs – the club around the corner from his home – his initial reaction was to knock the new club back.

“Paul had a piece of paper with him and he spoke about a new club coming into the competition, just like Gold Coast had that year,” Ward said.

“To be honest, I didn’t even know there was another team coming in. That’s how naïve and kind of young I was.

“They didn’t have a name then, but he said, ‘they’re interested in a few players so I gave them a list of every player I manage and they’ve given me this back.’

“He probably had about 80 or 90 players back then on his list, and my name was highlighted.

“I said, ‘how do they even know who I am, I haven’t done anything.’ I was just bemused as to why they were interested in me.

“I said to Paul in that first meeting, ‘I’m just not interested,’ but as we went on it just kept escalating to the point where I really thought seriously about it.”

Ward – who returns to the GIANTS’ team tonight having overcome a minor knee injury – was one of the first un-contracted players to sign on with GWS, announcing his move on the same day as Rhys Palmer.

He co-captained the team with Phil Davis and Luke Power in the 2012 season and has played 161 games for the club so far.