Over a four-year period, Leon Cameron has coached his GWS Giants from a seemingly hopeless rabble into a unit now threatening to win a premiership, and he couldn't be more proud of his men.
In his own assessment, their 22-point win over Port Adelaide on Sunday night wasn't pretty, but like the previous week against Richmond they somehow found an incredible will to win against the odds.
“It was a win built on resilience, grit and determination and our guys were clearly up for the challenge,” Cameron said. “That made me really proud because our guys found a way when Port clearly kept on coming at us.
“This was a huge result for our footy club. It was fantastic for a group that in the past had probably been accused of not having that resilience.”
While it is difficult to compare seasons – and the Giants need to still improve considerably to contest their first grand final – Cameron left left no doubt that this current squad has developed something special, a quality relatively new to this still fledgling club.
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“Last year was built on a lot of resilience as well, when we [also] had a lot of injuries, but it didn't get us to where we wanted to get to,” Cameron said. “We fell short.
“I think with injuries there are two ways to look at it: one, is it can steel you and make you a more resilient footy club; two, it gives you opportunities that you actually mightn't know 100 per cent about.
On song: The Giants belt out the club song after the win over Port Adelaide.
Photo: AAP
“Is it ideal to have Coor, Taylor and Griffen go out this week? No, you prefer them to play, and you prefer to have Toby Greene playing every week. But every club goes through the injuries. We have had our fair share this year, a fair whack.
“Case in point Sam Taylor. Before he went out today (illness), we would not have found out about him had we not had those injuries. He stepped up to the plate. Matthew Buntine steps up from a knee operation that's cost him12-14 months of footy. Lachie Keeffe is a journeyman who has come to us from Collingwood and comes in a plays his role. And so forth.
“Opportunity knocks when you have injuries, but then you have to be able to deliver and that's the real pleasing part of this win (against Port). Everyone played a role.
On the up: Greater Western Sydney coach Leon Cameron has rallied his troops into a potential flag-winning unit.
Photo: AAP
“We are still a little way from our best. In terms of our last seven weeks we have found a way to win with our backs against the wall. We knew we had four really poor weeks, and we put our hand up … we didn't play a brand of footy that we were proud of, but in the last seven games we have.
“You can clearly see the Richmonds, Collingwoods and the West Coasts – those three sides are out in front and we are trying to chase. We are in the group – four, five, six, seven and eight – who know that if they don't improve 10 per cent as the weeks go on will drop games and be scratching to make the eight, let alone be really good in finals footy.
“But out of this, I am really confident that our group is hungry and has that appetite to improve their game.”
After looking unlikely finalists, the Giants are in charge of their top-four destiny. Their run home is against St Kilda (Spotless Stadium), Carlton (Etihad), Adelaide (UniNSW), Sydney (Spotless Stadium), and Melbourne (MCG).
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