History of the Greater Western Sydney Giants facts for kids
The Greater Western Sydney Giants, often called the GWS Giants, are a professional Australian rules football team. They play in the Australian Football League (AFL). The AFL wanted to create a new team in western Sydney, Australia. In 2008, they started planning for this new club. They also announced a big plan to improve the Sydney Showground Stadium, which would become the team's home ground. On 9 November 2009, Kevin Sheedy, a famous coach, was announced as the first coach for the new team.
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Becoming an AFL Team
On 29 July 2010, the AFL officially announced that the Greater Western Sydney team could join the league in 2012. This made them the eighteenth team in the Australian Football League.
Playing in the TAC Cup (2010)
Before joining the AFL, the Greater Western Sydney team played in a junior league called the TAC Cup in 2010. This allowed young players from New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, and the Northern Territory to play for the team. Their first game was on 3 April against the Northern Knights at Blacktown Olympic Park.
On 1 June 2010, the club signed its first three young players: Curtly Hampton, Mark Whiley, and Sam Schulz. On the same day, they also signed Israel Folau, a well-known professional rugby league player. He signed a three-year contract to play Australian rules football.
On 16 November 2010, the club showed off their team jerseys and announced their nickname: the "Giants."
Playing in the NEAFL (2011)
In 2011, the Greater Western Sydney Football Club played in the North East Australian Football League (NEAFL). They were allowed to pick twelve talented 17-year-old players from all over Australia to join their team. Some of these young players included Jeremy Cameron, Dylan Shiel, and Adam Treloar.
Early AFL Seasons (2012–2013)
First Season in the AFL (2012)
To help the new team, the AFL allowed the Giants to sign up to sixteen players from other clubs. On 2 August 2011, Phil Davis from Adelaide became the first AFL player to sign with the Giants. Other important players who joined were Callan Ward from the Western Bulldogs, Rhys Palmer from the Fremantle Dockers, and Tom Scully from the Melbourne Demons.
The Giants also received many early draft picks in the 2011 AFL Draft. They picked nine of the first fifteen players! Some of their top picks included Jonathan Patton (pick 1), Stephen Coniglio (pick 2), and Dom Tyson (pick 3).
Jeremy Cameron's Rise (2013)
In 2013, a young forward named Jeremy Cameron started to become a star. In Round 6, the Giants almost caused a big upset. They led the undefeated Essendon Bombers by 23 points at half-time. Cameron kicked a club record six goals in that game! Even though Essendon won in the end, Cameron showed how good he was.
Cameron continued to kick many goals throughout the season. By Round 21, he was tied for first place in the Coleman Medal race, which is an award for the player who kicks the most goals in the season.
The "Big Three" Forwards (2014–Present)
The Giants started the 2014 AFL season with three very exciting young forwards. They had picked Tom Boyd as the number one draft pick in the 2013 AFL Draft. Along with Jonathan Patton and Jeremy Cameron, these three players were called "The Big Three" by the media.
To add more experience to their young team, the Giants also brought in some premiership-winning players in 2013. These included Josh Hunt, Shane Mumford, and Heath Shaw.
