Round one is still 135 days away but there’s plenty to get us through until then. We’ve got 9 reasons to get excited about pre-season.

1. Clean Slate

It’s a new season and new beginnings for many of the players. Whether you’ve come off a career-best season or one decimated by injury, everyone is on a level playing field as we begin the preparations for 2016. Every player has their own targets for pre-season, ready to put their name forward for round one against Melbourne on March 26.


2. Sun’s Out, Guns Out

What a time of the year. The mercury is rising, the sun is out and there’s ample opportunities to compare rigs and tans (unless you’re Jeremy Cameron). Sunscreen is slapped on before every session and the best way to cool down is in a garbage bin full of ice. Luckily our new facility has state of the art indoor ice baths but sometimes the old methods are the most effective.

3. Philthy Movember

Ah November. The time of the year when men can get away with gross facial hair, all in the name of changing the face of men’s health. The leader of the pack is the GIANTS’ co-captain who never misses an opportunity to put down the razor and grow a filthy layer of hair on his top lip. He’s only raised $122 so far so get behind the facial monstrosity - it’s hideous but it’s for a good cause after all.

4. Lenny and Brad

Lenny Hayes: St Kilda Champion, 297 games, club captain, 15 years in the AFL. Brad Miller: 157 games, Melbourne’s leading goal kicker, 10 years in the AFL. Welcome to the GIANTS. Lenny and Brad have both begun their new roles at the club, Lenny as an Assistant Coach working with the midfield and Brad as the new NEAFL Coach.  

5. The Next Big Thing

Last season it was Jack Steele, the year before Josh Kelly. Fantasy players and fans alike hang on every report from pre-season training to see which youngster is ready to take the next step in 2016. Steele had his shot in 2015 but there’s plenty more to come from him. Caleb Marchbank has come back fit and firing, finishing top five in his 3km time trial on Monday. Paul Ahern and Jarrod Pickett have also returned to the club ready to make their mark in their second season. With a crop of draftees still to come, who will everyone be talking about as the first side is selected next year?


6. Old Hands

There’s only two new faces at the club this year but one big name is ready to make his mark. After 253 games, 452 goals, three premierships, three All Australians and a Norm Smith Medal, Geelong champion Steve Johnson is ready to roll out in the orange and charcoal. He’ll arrive on Monday, November 23 alongside fellow former Cat Dawson Simpson who is up for the fight to take the second ruck spot behind Shane Mumford.

7. Noosa

Noosa. Need we say more? In what would be a refreshing pre-Christmas break for you or I, the players will hit the pristine sand of the Sunshine Coast ready to put in the hard yards for an intense week-long camp from December 13. This will be the third year the GIANTS head to paradise but it will also be the toughest camp yet. Gruelling beach sessions, training at the local oval and the now-annual McConnell Cup cross country race (named after Assistant Coach Al) are sure to have the players hanging out for their Christmas break.

8. To Cut or Not to Cut

The players arrive back from their eight weeks break and you never know what you’re going to find. Some haven’t gone near a barber the entire time and are now sporting long and luscious locks (we’re looking at you Jack Steele and Aidan Corr). Some come back looking sharp after many an overseas adventure (Toby Greene). And some, we don’t even know what to expect (Callan Ward).

9. The Co-Captain’s Mane

It’s too big of a talking point to not have his own. It’s always an interesting exercise to see what shape Callan Ward’s hair comes back in. He does his fitness work, but he doesn’t always take the same care with his locks. He’s been sporting the longer look at the Spring Racing Carnival but don’t be surprised if he turns up on November 23 with next to nothing left.

When pre-season starts, then round one is in sight. In 135 days the GIANTS will run onto the home of football to take on the Melbourne Demons at the MCG. There’s plenty to come between now and then, but the countdown is on. Bring on 2016.