Right hand man: Choco to Leon
The first bit of news to come out of GWS in the postseason wind-down was that Sheedy was re-signed for a further year and that Mark 'Choco' Williams was off to Richmond in a developmental role. This probably came about because of a broken agreement where Choco Williams was given assurances. As a result, the Giants had to look elsewhere to allow for their succession plan to go ahead.
There was scant experience on offer in the coaching market and ultimately the Giants settled with Leon Cameron to be the main deputy coach and confirmed that he will take over the team in 2014. Cameron has been looking for a senior coaching position for several years after being an assistant at the Bulldogs and Hawthorn.
I think that losing Choco isn't the worst thing in the world for GWS and gaining someone as young, but well thought of, and qualified, as Cameron was the best case scenario once it became clear Sheedy was staying on for a year, which in itself was a great move.
There was scant experience on offer in the coaching market and ultimately the Giants settled with Leon Cameron to be the main deputy coach and confirmed that he will take over the team in 2014. Cameron has been looking for a senior coaching position for several years after being an assistant at the Bulldogs and Hawthorn.
I think that losing Choco isn't the worst thing in the world for GWS and gaining someone as young, but well thought of, and qualified, as Cameron was the best case scenario once it became clear Sheedy was staying on for a year, which in itself was a great move.
Overview of Player Transactions
Player Losses:
Retired: Luke Power, James McDonald, Israel Folau
Delisted: Stephen Clifton, Tim Segrave, Rhys Cooyou, Dean Brogan
Traded: Jack Hombsch (Port Adelaide)
Retired: Luke Power, James McDonald, Israel Folau
Delisted: Stephen Clifton, Tim Segrave, Rhys Cooyou, Dean Brogan
Traded: Jack Hombsch (Port Adelaide)
Free Agency: None
The Outs
Out of all the players who were moved on by the Giants, Stephen Clifton's delisting was probably the most unexpected. He had been at the club from it's beginning, playing in the NEAFL, and was, at the time, their main clearance player. I guess compared to the young talent being developed he was seen as too slow and erratic in disposal quality to be kept on given that there was another glut of young talent on hand. I still think it is a real shame that he didn't quite make it.
The retirement of Power and McDonald was not unexpected and they'll go onto coaching roles at the club. I think it was an inspired idea to give a couple of class players on their way out a year to bond with their charges on the field before moving onto true coaching roles, will help develop the coach/player relationship nicely.
The less said about Israel Folau the better.
Hombsch was a potential key defender who was traded on to Port Adelaide for a 2nd round pick. It was an intriguing trade, the Giants biggest weakness in their inaugural season was their lack of true defenders. I can only suggest there was some disconnect between club and player and he was moved on.
Player Additions:
Traded: Stephen Gilham (Hawthorn)
Free Agency: Nil
National Draft: Lachie Whitfield (1), Jonathan O’Rourke (2), Lachie Plowman (3), Kristian Jaksch (12), Aidan Corr (14), James Stewart (27), Sam Frost (83, promoted rookie), Andrew Phillips (97, promoted rookie)
Rookie Draft: Zack Williams (54, Academy Selection)
Pre-season Draft: Bret Thornton (1, Carlton), Dean Brogan (12, GWS Giants)
The Ins
The Giants took advantage of the concessions given to them as the youngest club in the AFL to hoard the best youth available. Even though there will be short term pain with this method, most of their picks will stick and they will be scary good in a few years. They acted to shore up their backline a bit more but it will still be a while before they can prevent giving away huge scores to opponents.
The Drafts
The Giants took the best talent available with the first three picks in this years draft.
Lachie Whitfield (pick 1) is another sublime midfielder to add to a stack that will be feared in a few years. He won the Larke Medal, awarded to the best player in division one at the Under 18 National Championships last year. He has also been a member of the AIS-AFL Academy for the past two years. Should slot right in and make an impact for the young side.
Jono O'Rourke (pick 2) seems similar if slightly lesser to Whitfield, also attended the AIS-AFL Academy over the past two years and featuring in Vic Metro's successful U18 National Championship campaign.
With the rest of their picks, the Giants tried to address the shortage of talent on hand in key positions (excusing of course Patton and Cameron down forward).
Lachie Plowman (pick 3), Kristian Jaksch (12), Aiden Corr (14) and James Stewart (27) all look like promising types but it may take several seasons of development before their worth is truly seen. Plowman going early is a sign that the Giants were serious about taking players at needed positions over the best player available. This is simply because of the depth available in the Giants midfield, raw as it is. If the fabled Giants exodus occurs, which it wont, they will still have a solid corps of on-ballers. All in all a smart group of selections by SoS.
Free Agency and Trades
The Gilham trade was another move that affirmed the Giants knew they needed to address their anaemic backline with at least some short-term option. The Hawks and Giants swapped picks and the Giants threw in Jed Anderson, a NT zone pick half-back flanker, for the favour. I'm not too concerned that Gilham hasn't been fantastic since doing his ACL in 2011, his experience is as essential as his ability with such a young team.
Re-signing Brogan was a no-brainer. He'll be able to coach and only need to fill in as injuries dictate.
The Thornton signing is a thorny one for me (I'm so sorry). The major issue I had with the ex-Carlton utility was attitude based. I saw him as a blame-shifter, a ground-slapper and a mouthy-do-nothing who was something of a bully. However, his utility will be useful, either shoring up the defence, or giving a breather to a young forward duo. He should be another useful short-term addition to the team.
Summary
The Giants have tried to stay as active as possible within their communities of interest, being the ACT and NSW. It's an admirable effort, but the ACT members day had a scant turnout and I can't see the NSW ones being much bigger. However, the establishment of a club is a marathon, not a sprint, and the efforts from players, coaches and other staff is to be respected.
The club's player development off the field have been similar in pace and tone. This is very much a culture building and community engagement phase from the team and so far the club has done everything very well in that regard.
Sheedy will have another year of developing some of the best youth in the country and instilling 'proper' footballing attitudes within them before Leon Cameron takes over next year. Let's hope they're both up to the task.
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