Here Come the GIANTS

GWS GIANTS AFL Football Club

This is the story of the creation of the GIANTS. Over a 12 month period in the club's 10th year, award winning journalist and GIANTS recruiter Emma Quayle spoke to key figures in the rise of the GIANTS. The five-part series covers expansion, Team GWS, operation 'Get Sheedy', the team, the name, the colours, the song and the identity. The series features Andrew Demetriou, Dale Holmes, David Matthews, Graeme Allan, Stephen Silvagni, Mark Williams and current and past players.

Episodes

  1. Episode 5: The GIANTS: The name, the colours, the song, the identity

    25/03/2022

    Episode 5: The GIANTS: The name, the colours, the song, the identity

    It sounds like the fun stuff, but there were a lot of people to keep happy when the new club was choosing its name, colours and guernsey design. Meanwhile, a decision to set the club up like a US college campus played a huge part in creating its culture and building a lasting bond between the players, as the crucial hunt for a permanent home base began. Episode features:  Graeme Allan, GIANTS’ first head of football  Dale Holmes, original GIANTS chief executive officerMel Lambert, who headed up the club’s welfare program with husband Craig  Andrew Demetriou, former AFL chief executive officerDavid Matthews, current GIANTS chief executive officerPhil Davis, original GIANTS recruit and inaugural co-captain  Tom Scully, former GIANTS player  Luke Power, former GIANTs player and inaugural co-captain   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    57 min
  2. Episode 4: The Team: The wheeling, dealing and draft decisions that shaped the GIANTS’ playing list

    25/03/2022

    Episode 4: The Team: The wheeling, dealing and draft decisions that shaped the GIANTS’ playing list

    Who would you target if you were building an AFL list from scratch and had big contract offers to throw around? Clubs expected the GIANTS to come after their older, established stars like expansion teams had in the past, but they had other ideas. They had their eye on long-term success from the start, even if it would make for a tough first few seasons.  Episode features:  Graeme Allan, GIANTS’ first head of football  Stephen Silvagni, GIANTS’ original list manager  Phil Davis, original GIANTS recruit and inaugural co-captain  Callan Ward, original GIANTS recruit and inaugural co-captain  Dale Holmes, original GIANTS chief executive officer Tom Scully, former GIANTS player and original signing  Luke Power, former GIANTS player and inaugural co-captain   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1h 26m
  3. Episode 3: Get Sheedy: Why Kevin Sheedy was targeted to be the GIANTS’ first AFL coach

    25/03/2022

    Episode 3: Get Sheedy: Why Kevin Sheedy was targeted to be the GIANTS’ first AFL coach

    Kevin Sheedy? Really? People were surprised and many were dismissive when the AFL pursued Sheedy - in his 60s and more than two years out of the game - to be the GIANTS’ first AFL coach. But he was seen as the perfect person to not only steer a young team of players, but sell the new club to a part of the country that had never loved AFL football. They just had to talk him into it. Episode features:  Kevin Sheedy, inaugural GIANTS head coach  Mark Williams, inaugural GIANTS senior assistant coach  Andrew Demetriou, former AFL chief executive officerDale Holmes, original GIANTS chief executive officerDavid Matthews, current GIANTS chief executive officer See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    47 min
  4. Episode 2: Team GWS: Before the GIANTS there was…

    25/03/2022

    Episode 2: Team GWS: Before the GIANTS there was…

    The GIANTS had to start somewhere, and it was a random collection of boys from Sydney, Canberra and country NSW – as well as a future Australian Test cricketer – who represented the new club in an AFL competition for the first time, as staff worked behind the scenes to secure the 18th AFL club licence and a very big name decided to cross over from the NRL. As coach Alan McConnell discovered, the kids were a long, long way from being AFL ready. Episode features: Alan McConnell, coach of Team GWS and the club’s first employee  Dale Holmes, original GIANTS chief executive officerCam Bernasconi, Team GWS player and current GIANTS Academy coach  Alex Carey, Team GWS player and current Australian cricket team member  Brett Hand, Team GWS assistant coach   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    50 min
  5. Episode 1: Expansion: Why the AFL moved into western Sydney

    22/03/2022

    Episode 1: Expansion: Why the AFL moved into western Sydney

    In 2008 the AFL announced it would be introducing two new teams, on the Gold Coast and in Sydney. In the first episode of this five-part series exploring the creation of the Greater Western Sydney GIANTS, find out why the league decided to expand in the middle of a global financial crisis, why they decided to move into western Sydney, what resistance was met from other clubs and why no-one gave up on the chase for Tony Shepherd as the new club’s first chairman.  Episode features: Andrew Demetriou, former AFL chief executive officerDale Holmes, original GIANTS chief executive officerDavid Matthews, current GIANTS chief executive officerTony Shepherd, inaugural and current GIANTS chairman   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    56 min
  • 5 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

This is the story of the creation of the GIANTS. Over a 12 month period in the club's 10th year, award winning journalist and GIANTS recruiter Emma Quayle spoke to key figures in the rise of the GIANTS. The five-part series covers expansion, Team GWS, operation 'Get Sheedy', the team, the name, the colours, the song and the identity. The series features Andrew Demetriou, Dale Holmes, David Matthews, Graeme Allan, Stephen Silvagni, Mark Williams and current and past players.

Information

  • Creator
    GWS GIANTS AFL Football Club
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 GWS GIANTS AFL Football Club
  • Show Website
    Here Come the GIANTS