"I think it's an awful time to be doing this." | First Thoughts - GWS and Toby Greene (18.09.26)
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Why does Toby Greene’s departure signal a full‑on rebuild for the GWS Giants?
There's a fair bit of other footy stuff to get through as well today, Kingy. Toby Green is out of the Giants, which to me signals that they are in full-on rebuild mode. No Hogan, no Stringer. Whitfield and Himmelberg on the trade table, and the captain is gone. And they have a good group of young players. Now, it's not a rock-bottom start from the scratch Richmond-style rebuild, but... really this signals we are in reset, rebuild, three to five year timeframe window mode with green going. Do you agree with that? And are you concerned about the future of the GWS giants?
Well, I think it's an awful time to be doing this. You couldn't have picked a poorer time to make this assessment that it's over. And this is why you've just got to absolutely know where you're at. I've said it for 20 years.
How might the Giants’ young talent and trade targets reshape their future?
If you don't know where you're at, you can waste seasons and purge a window for some players. You really can. So it is the crashing of their second wave. So they had a real opportunity back in 2014, 15, 16, around that area there, where they just got nutted in a couple of big games. The Dogs preliminary final springs to mind. And then they had another opportunity five years later, and this was their third. I think that's crashed. So I like what they've got on their list. Green, Callaghan, Cadman. Gothard, these types of players. Taylor's got a lot of footy left in him. They're sort of... They've got to find one or two that I think are there.
What does ‘knowing where you are’ mean for the Giants’ long‑term strategy?
And if they do purge these players, they can get active in the free agency space next year.
So you would think that they can still be finals bound next year? If
we
were doing our bullseye, which we did.
I'm
not sure how many we had each for the Giants, but I think we certainly predicted a regression. If you were doing your bullseye right now, yep, it's early, and the Herald Sun and others can copy that if they would like to. They'll get in early. How many for the Giants on your bullseye? I'm thinking like-
Well, they won 10 this year.
I'm thinking eight.
You're thinking eight? Yeah. Yeah. Well, I'd go with 10 again.
Can the Giants still be finals‑bound next season despite the rebuild?
I think they can win 10. Tom Green, back into that line. We've just been robbed of seeing him in his prime this year. Clayton Oliver did a fantastic job in that role, but he's not Tom Green. I think if you can plug him back in, you're going to win a lot more ball, less stress on the back line. Yeah, I'd probably be sitting around the 9 or 10, which is what you're saying, isn't it?
They're in all sorts. It is. Yeah, they're in all sorts. They're in all sorts of trouble. Exactly where you don't want to be is around that 9 or 10. And the challenge that they've got of recruiting players to that footy club and recruiting coaches. I mean, there's heaps of coaches they still need to replace.
Should the Giants buy Whitfield and how would he fit into a contender’s lineup?
A huge off-season for Adam Kingsley.
Would you buy Whitfield? Would you buy Whitfield?
Yeah, I don't mind that. I don't mind that for a contender. Now, just a question without notice, where does he fit? But, you know, where do Melbourne see themselves at? Do they see themselves one ball-moving gun behind the ball away from winning a final, a proper final? I don't know if it's Melbourne. Like, the Blues could certainly use someone that can use the footy. Like, well, everyone can. Everyone needs one. So I don't mind that.
What are the potential outcomes for Whitfield’s contract and the Giants’ off‑season plans?
What would you pay?
I think he's nearly 32. I heard some people say that
he's on a back-ended deal, which is about a million bucks. So you just cop that. But the problem for the Giants is if I'm Whitfield, I'm going, no, I'm just staying for one more year, and then I'll go to Tassie. Now, he may have already committed to Tassie. We don't know. Now, the Tasmanian list bosses come out and said they've had players commit already. He may be one of them. So the Giants might want to trade him, but he might say, no, I'm happy here, and then I'm going to go for three or four years down to Tassie. Good luck to you. So we'll see how that all plays out.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
Why does Toby Greene’s departure signal a full‑on rebuild for the GWS Giants?
0:00–0:48
2
How might the Giants’ young talent and trade targets reshape their future?
0:48–1:32
3
What does ‘knowing where you are’ mean for the Giants’ long‑term strategy?
1:32–2:12
4
Can the Giants still be finals‑bound next season despite the rebuild?
2:12–2:45
5
Should the Giants buy Whitfield and how would he fit into a contender’s lineup?
2:45–3:12
6
What are the potential outcomes for Whitfield’s contract and the Giants’ off‑season plans?
3:12–3:47
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from SEN Breakfast
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