GWS Giants' list for 2019 after AFL trade and draft periods

Mick Stirling

GWS Giants' list for 2019 after AFL trade and draft periods image

The dust has finally settled on AFL post-season activity and all 18 clubs have completed their lists for 2019.

Who’s come in via trades, free agency and the national and rookie drafts? Who’s gone out the other way?

And, most importantly, how does the list look after all the changes?

MORE: AFL draft: every pick, every player, every club

This week, Sporting News is going through each club’s changes to analyse whether steps have been taken forwards, backwards or if they’re just treading water.

GWS Giants

In

Trade:

NA

Free agency:

NA

Draft:

Jye Caldwell (11 – Bendigo Pioneers), Jackson Hately (14 – Central District), Xavier O’Halloran (22 – Western Jets), Ian Hill (24 – Perth), Kieren Briggs (34 – GWS Academy), Connor Idun (61 – Geelong Falcons)

GWS Giants 2018 draft Jye Caldwell Jackson Hately Xavier O

Rookie:

NA

Out

Traded:

Rory Lobb (Fremantle), Tom Scully (Hawthorn), Will Setterfield (Carlton), Dylan Shiel (Essendon)

Delisted:

Tim Mohr, Lachlan Tiziani

Retired:

Ryan Griffen

Ryan Griffen Leon Cameron

GWS Giants’ 2019 list

On paper the Giants have lost two number-one draft picks, another top-five selection and an All Australian – that doesn’t read well.

In fact, it reads worse than Gold Coast’s post-season exodus, yet GWS have escaped a lot of scrutiny under the banner of ‘salary cap limits’. 

The truth is we won’t know how successful the Giants’ 2018 off-season has been until the end of 2019’s trade period. If Josh Kelly, Stephen Coniglio, Adam Tomlinson, Nick Haynes and Jacob Hopper are still in orange, it’ll be a win.

Verdict

It’s impossible to say the Giants’ list is stronger now than it was in September, as they’ve added no one who could be expected to make a difference next year. However, a change in luck on the injury front can keep them in flag contention.


 

Mick Stirling