Flag window still open for Giants: Ward
GWS co- captain Callan Ward is certain his club’s AFL premiership window remains open despite losing some key players.
Dylan Shiel, Tom Scully, Rory Lobb and Will Setterfield were all traded and Ryan Griffen retired last season.
That prompted suggestions the window to win a flag may be closing, with the Giants not fully capitalising on the stack of high draft picks they had early in their history.
Preliminary finals in 2016 and ’ 17 were followed by a semi- final exit this year.
“The most important thing is the list is still really strong so no doubt I think we’re in a premiership window still,” midfielder Ward said yesterday. He believes the Giants still boast one of the premier midfields in the competition.
GWS replenished their midfield stocks in the national draft, using their first three picks on players in that area.
“I’ve seen their highlights packages and they look really exciting,” Ward said. “I just want them to bring enthusiasm.”
The Giants’ all- time games leader said there was a lot GWS needed to do better if they wanted to win a flag.
“We need to tidy up a few areas of our game and I think most importantly it’s probably the consistency over the whole season. It’s also consistency in games as well,” he said.
Ruckman Shane Mumford had his first training run with the group yesterday, two days after GWS signed him up at the start of the new supplemental selection period.
Mumford retired at the end of the 2017 season due to foot issues, and helped out with the club’s ruckmen last year, but Ward wasn’t totally surprised to see him back.
“Because he’s actually kept really fit, he was always saying ‘ I wish I was playing again, I’d be dominating’, all this sort of stuff, he’s pretty annoying,” Ward said.
“But halfway through the year I was still looking at him like ‘ this guy could actually play AFL footy’. And looking at it now, he’s had a terrific offseason – he’s in super nick.”