When Phil Davis became one of the GIANTS' captains five years ago he was 21 years old and had played just 18 games. He knew what he wanted to do because he had watched Adelaide’s senior players closely before leaving to join the GIANTS. But understanding what he needed to teach his new, teenage teammates was one thing. Knowing how to teach them was another.

“I always thought it would come easily and I expected it would come easily because of the system I went into at Adelaide,” said Davis. “Within a couple of months there I knew what was expected and that put me in a good position coming up here because I did pick it up pretty naturally. But learning how to teach it was something I had never had to do and I still struggle with that at times, because there’s not just one way to get a message through.

“I think I have more influence now, and the job in the early days was to slowly nip away at things and make sure people were happy. From there it was realising that even though I got taught one certain way, it’s not the only way and so you have to keep adjusting. That’s something I’m still trying to work on to this day, trying to work out the different personalities and be good at seeing the best way to get through to them.”

Callan Ward has had even more to work out, since becoming Davis’ co-captain. He had played 60 games in four years before he moved to Sydney, debuting for the Western Bulldogs while he was still in school. He knew who the good leaders were there, and who the other players looked up to. But he left before even thinking to work out what they did, and how exactly they did it.

There never really seemed any need. “I had no idea what I was doing when I took over. I had no idea what was required, I didn’t know much about leadership at all,” Ward said. “I’d seen it at the Bulldogs, but I was young and just taking it all in. I wasn’t paying much attention, so it took me a while. I reckon it took until year three up here for me to really know how to be a co-captain, how to build a relationship and how important it is to have your players trust you. Before that people were telling me I’d be able to do it, but I couldn’t really see how.”

Things come more naturally now, for the two 26-year-olds who will lead their team into the 2017 season from a slightly different starting point than they have stepped into the last five. Ward was sitting sick and sore on the bench as last year’s preliminary final ended, thanks to a heavy head knock, and can remember feeling absolutely certain his team would hold on, win the game and play in a grand final the next week. Until they didn’t win, and the Bulldogs did.

“Things can get taken away quickly if you’re not careful,” he said. “There’s motivation that comes from it because guys were upset and crying and feeling like we’d wasted a chance. You think about how much work you’d done to get to that point, and all of a sudden it’s over. You don’t want to feel the way we felt after that game again.”

Davis agrees. “I think the memories of that game just reaffirm how much you want to win the premiership,” he said, “and how much we need to expect to play finals, and go deep into finals. Expecting that doesn’t mean it will happen – sometimes you’re going to fall short – but you have to aim for big things. The way I think back on it now is, I don’t want to beat the Bulldogs next time because they beat us, I just want to win all the games we can so we can win a premiership.”

The late finish to 2016 meant a later start to the pre-season. But both players were pleased with how their teammates turned up to train, and at how they have handled being asked to cram as much work as they have always done into a shorter time.

“It’s been sharp and fast. We’ve moved through the different phases of pre-season quickly, we’ve just kept moving. And from the day it started we’ve been looking forward to playing games and improving on what we did last year, so there’s been a real buzz around us,” said Ward, who draws confidence from the fact that energy has been generated from within the club, not from the outside world as pre-season predications have been made, many placing the GIANTS up around the top.

“I think we’ve handled external expectation pretty well,” he said. “From the time when we were getting whacked in our first few years and getting told we were a waste of time we’ve handled it well, and not let it get to us. Now that we’ve played finals people are jumping on us, but I don’t think that will change. There’s nothing to really get out of listening to it, and we expect high things of each other anyway. If you don’t expect to play in finals or win finals, what are you even doing?”

Davis and Ward will also start the season knowing more about each other, and how they work together. Ward has always liked the way Davis talks to people about tough things, but has seen him get even better at it since they started out. “When someone needs to be told they’ve stuffed up he’s able to say those things in a direct way, and people listen to him because they all respect him,” he said. “I wish I could give feedback the way he does, but he does all the things that I can’t do. I think we’ve been able to help each other out, in the areas we need to work on.”

Davis can see the things Ward does well – and is more comfortable with than he once was – too. “He’s stayed the same person he always was, but he interacts a bit differently now and he’s been able to stretch himself across more people,” he said. “He’s really genuine in how he does it, and he plays that way as well. He’s always been a great leader in terms of how he plays, and that’s something you’re either good at or not good at.

“We said the other day that we’re the Odd Couple. He’s very good at the things I can’t do, so we help each other, and that’s good because the worst thing you could ever have in a leadership meeting is everyone agreeing. It means you won’t really get anywhere or make any change. We’re similar in many ways but we’ll always do things differently as well, and I think that’s a really important part of making sure we’re looking after everyone and doing the best job we can.”