Giant adjustment a success for skipper

CALLAN Ward is the reluctant captain.

When he was offered the Giants’ co-captaincy in 2011 he knocked it back believing at the age of 21 he wasn’t old enough, nor did he have the right talents for the job.

Fast forward seven years he is pleased he changed his mind and took the job alongside another 21-year-old in Phil Davis.

“When the Giants first approached me about the captaincy I wasn’t keen at all,” Ward said.

“I told them that at the start of pre-season and we hadn’t even started training. But when I got to the club and met everybody I realised I was one of the more experienced players there with 60 games under my belt at the Dogs.

“When I saw how young we were I realised I should take the challenge on and do something I wasn’t that comfortable with, that’s why I did it. I was hesitant at first but now I’m really glad I took it because seven years in I really enjoy it.”

When Ward started out in the job he had only 60 games under his belt at the Western Bulldogs, but Davis had even less with knee injuries restricting him to just 18 in his two years at the Crows.

Last week the Giants con- firmed the pair will lead the team for the seventh consecutive year as they continue the chase for their first premiership. Ward says the pair have worked well together and helped each other overcome their deficiencies.

“Phil [Davis] and I really work well together,” Ward said. “I think it helps that we started from similar positions and because we are the same age. We complement each other well, he’s good at some things I’m not at and vice versa. Phil always speaks his mind and I have been slow doing that. The other part of leadership is what you do on the field.”

The responsibility of leadership certainly hasn’t affected the 27-year-old’s on-field performance. He won the Kevin Sheedy Medal in 2012 and finished runner-up in 2013, 2014, and 2017.