THE INFLUENCE of Leon Cameron has been central to Greater Western Sydney youngsters choosing to stay at the club, according to co-captain Phil Davis.
Despite fears the Giants could be susceptible to losing players, the club has managed to secure much of its talented list, including new deals for top-five draft picks Jonathon Patton, Dom Tyson and Will Hoskin-Elliott last month.
Cameron joined the Giants last year as senior assistant coach and will take over as the club's coach at the end of this season, replacing Kevin Sheedy.
Davis said the former Hawthorn assistant's appointment could be directly linked with Giants wanting to stay at the club.
"He's a person who makes you feel really comfortable and is genuinely interested. He'll talk to everyone at least every day which is a great thing to do, and people want to stay with coaches they respect and like," Davis told AFL.com.au.
"From a football point of view, he's made a few changes. We're a bit more attacking this year and we've got a lot of confidence in our game-plan."
Davis says the potential for success, and relationships already formed before the players arrived at the Giants, have also been key reasons for the group sticking together.
With more than 20 Giants now re-signed until the end of 2015, the 22-year-old is hopeful that by then the lure of imminent success will aid player retention.
"I think the people who are re-signing now, it's about what they think we're going to do. Everyone is pretty confident we're heading in the right direction," Davis said.
"That 2015 and 2016 period that will have been our fourth [to fifth] year in the competition and we would be expecting to be in finals and hopefully competing. Hopefully at that point we're doing that well and people will re-sign again and we'll be in the hunt."
The Giants' promising pre-season has seen the club more competitive for longer periods in games, and it remains a focus throughout their year, which starts with Saturday night's encounter with the Sydney Swans at ANZ Stadium.
While many expect GWS to improve on their two-win debut season, Davis said the club had placed an emphasis on breaking it down to win more quarters - they won 13 last season.
"I think that's a great stat because sometimes you can play some great footy and just get beaten," he said.
Last year's No.1 NAB AFL Draft pick Lachie Whitfield appears likely to make his debut against the Swans and could be set for an extended stay in the senior line-up.
"Lachie will definitely play a lot of games. I think his decision-making, running ability and skills set him apart," Davis said.
"Obviously he's a slight frame but he's a good player. You'd think he'd play at least 10-15 games. I think that's realistic barring any injury. He's been a great addition to the group."
Follow AFL website reporter Callum Twomey on Twitter at @AFL_CalTwomey.
