GWS's 2022 review: The Hope, the Hurt and the Clanger

Falling from a semi final in 2021 to 16th position, GWS' 2022 season was disappointing.

Notching only six wins, the club struggled to gain any ascendancy over their opposition throughout their campaign, which resulted in the resignation of Leon Cameron.

Their year began with a loss to cross-town rivals Sydney by 20 points in a tightly contested match.

That was followed by a drubbing from Richmond before the Giants eventually sang the song after the game, defeating Gold Coast in round three.

From then on, GWS lost three in a row to Fremantle, Melbourne and St Kilda in a stretch where they averaged 56 points per game.

During that time, they welcomed back co-captain Toby Greene from suspension after bumping an umpire in the elimination final win against Sydney last year.

The Giants' second win came in Adelaide against the Crows, which saw the club dominate the young outfit in front of their home crowd.

However, pressure was building on Cameron and his future at GWS, being at the helm since 2014 and looking like getting moved on.

After the Carlton game, which saw the Giants slump to 2-7, the former Tigers player told the club that his time was up as leader of the side.

Caretaker coach Mark McVeigh took his place from round 10 onwards as GWS accepted their fate as a bottom four side in 2022.

However, McVeigh made an immediate impact with position swaps and a new game style, life under the ex-Essendon player looked prosperous for the time being.

The Giants were playing with freedom and it showed in their results.

Defeating West Coast and North Melbourne comfortably, GWS took it up to both Brisbane and Collingwood as well as the Western Bulldogs.

Sam Taylor was proving to be a lighthouse in a storm for the Giants, holding up the defence with his elite intercept marking and defensive efforts.

However, after the mid-season bye, McVeigh led GWS to only three wins.

In the midst of the turmoil at Western Sydney, it seems key players could be requesting moves elsewhere, with Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper looking likely to return to Victoria.

The Giants did sign long-time assistant coach Adam Kingsley for his first senior position and will hope a new face and fresh voice will provide a spark needed to rebound in 2023.

The Hope

Sam Taylor

In his maiden All-Australian season, Taylor was rewarded with the centre half back position for his 2022 efforts.

Averaging 15 possessions, 10 intercept possessions, six marks and three tackles, the 23-year-old was a shining light for the Giants.

Taylor was able to hold up in defence against some of the game's best forwards and was a worthy selection in the AA team.

With plenty of good football ahead, he looks like a future leader of the club, leading by his actions and putting his body on the line week in week out.

Adam Kingsley

The recent signing of new senior coach Kingsley is something for GWS to be excited about.

Cameron's departure after nine seasons was due but the arrival of the 47-year-old can only help the Giants and their future prospects.

Kingsley has been around the football traps since 1997, playing at Port Adelaide for 10 years before becoming an assistant coach at St Kilda and Richmond.

With plenty of experience under his belt, Kingsley has had glowing compliments from past and current players, including Saints legend Leigh Montagna.

"“He’s the best assistant coach I ever had," Montagna said on Fox Footy.

The Hurt

Leon Cameron's departure

Cameron left the Giants as a beloved part of their history, with plenty of exciting rides he can reflect on.

Unfortunately, GWS fell agonisingly short of ultimate glory in many seasons under the former Dogs player, including losing a grand final (2019), two preliminary finals (2016, 2017), two semi-finals (2018, 2021) and an elimination final (2020).

Cameron coached the Giants to a winning record during his tenure, despite acquiring the club early in the history.

After 193 games, the 49-year-old won 101 matches after succeeding Kevin Sheedy.

The Clanger

Player exodus

It is no shock that after the 16th place finish in 2022, GWS players are starting to look elsewhere, whether that be for more opportunity or a return to a home state.

Taranto, Hopper and Bobby Hill have been linked to moves away to the club for while Tanner Bruhn is another name in the mix to depart.

With a star-studded midfield consisting of high-money players like Josh Kelly and Stephen Coniglio, Hopper and Taranto have sometimes fallen second fiddle and forced to play out of position.

Their desire to move to rival clubs is to seek further minutes in the midfield, with Collingwood, Richmond and Geelong potential suitors.

The Giants are known to be in some financial stress with players with six players reported to be on over $650,000 per season, with some nearing $1,000,000 a year, according to the Herald Sun.

Round 20 vs Sydney

Following a miserable three weeks against Port Adelaide, Brisbane and Carlton, the Giants were preparing to cause an upset against their rivals and stir up Sydney's pursuit for a top four spot.

In the second Derby of the year, the Swans proved to be way to good against GWS, which was expected but what comments ensued following the match from Mark McVeigh was of frustration.

"There's just the unfortunate part of dealing with whether players have checked out or not," McVeigh said.

"That's as honest as you possibly can be. 

"There were probably eight players that really went to the wall today – Kelly, Whitfield, Perryman, Taylor, Ward, Hogan, Greene and Kennedy.

"I thought those eight players fought right through to the end and gave absolutely everything. Eight players doing that is not enough."

Amid plenty of trade speculation with multiple players, the 73-point loss summarised their 2022 season and added further fuel to the already blazing fire at GWS.

What does GWS need?

The Giants still have the players and structure that took them to the finals in years gone by.

Sitting as the 10th oldest club with an average age of 24.4 years, GWS are right in the sweet spot as some of their key players in their prime.

However, assistance up forward in the form of key position players to help Jesse Hogan and Harry Himmelberg has to be at the forefront of their desires.

The midfield can be one of the best in the competition but with no one up forward to kick a winning score will result in losses not wins. This is reflected by GWS' 16th standing in points for in 2022.

Another need for the Giants is a ruckman. Braydon Preuss, Kieren Briggs and Matt Flynn are serviceable and have plenty of football ahead of them.

However, at the moment, they are not giving their stars first use often enough and with the 6-6-6 rule, clearances are key to success.

Players linked to the club

With plenty of player movement in the off-season expected to occur, a big name has been floated to move to GWS.

Collingwood's Brodie Grundy appears to be on the move and the Giants have been flagged as a potential destination.

Grundy's management has been seen meeting with list manager Jason McCartney in recent weeks and could be lured up to New South Wales.

Zero Hanger also reported that Melbourne small forward Toby Bedford is being pursued by GWS.

2022 out-of-contract players

Retirees and Delistings