The game this weekend at ENGIE Stadium will mean more than four points. 

As the GIANTS take on the Bombers in the club’s Super Helpful Game, the spotlight turns to the people who make a difference in the community every day - people like Joel McMullen, a police officer of 15 years, based in Sydney’s Hills District. 

Also a huge GIANTS fan, Officer McMullen has an incredible impact on the community as a Youth Officer where he helps guide young people toward better futures.  

For Officer McMullen, his work as a police officer is about serving his community as best he can.  

“It’s about giving back and helping… sacrificing a part of yourself for others. There’s a lot of value in that,” he said.  

In his role as a Youth Officer, no two days are the same. From working in schools to supporting young people who have made mistakes, his focus is on early intervention and positive change. 

“The most rewarding part is when you get it right. 

“When you find a kid who is kind of on the edge and you get them at the right time… you just shift them a couple of degrees in the right direction. 

“It’s a long-term project for a lot of them, but when it works out well and you get that engagement and direction, that’s the most rewarding.” 

Officer McMullen is quick to point out that success in roles like his relies on something bigger than any one individual: community support. 

“It’s critical,” he said. 

“At the end of the day, we’re all just community members trying to do the best thing for our soceity… it always works best when the communities support us and recognise we’re there for them. 

That same sense of community is what drew him to the GIANTS back in 2012.  

A West Australian by birth but a Sydney-sider since he was young, the 39-year-old admits there was “no way in the world” he could support the Swans. So, when the GIANTS entered the competition, the choice was easy. 

“When the GIANTS came along it was perfect” he said.  

“You guys are very community-based and interact very well with your fans. I wouldn’t be part of any other club. 

“We’ve been to every home game so far this year. We even drove down to Canberra. We love it.”  

For the passionate GIANTS fan, who is the former senior coach of the Western Magic in the AFL Sydney competition, footy is a family affair.  

He and his wife Michelle regularly bring their two daughters, Sloane and River, along to GIANTS games, turning match days into a family ritual. Over the past year, the girls have become increasingly invested - cheering from the stands and even getting the chance to run out onto the field with the club’s AFLW side last season. 

 “They absolutely love it. They bought badges on the weekend,” he said.  

The family will be there again on Saturday as the GIANTS hold their Super Helpful Game, recognising frontline workers like Joel, who are embedded in their communities and working to make them better 

“It’s really nice,” he said. 

“A lot of our people don’t get that face-to-face recognition… so it’s great for the broader community to recognise the challenges and sacrifices that people in these fields can face.” 

The GIANTS’ Super Helpful Game against the Bombers gets under way at 4:15pm on Saturday at ENGIE Stadium.