Ryan Angwin admits the road to 50 AFL games hasn't been quite as straightforward as he would have hoped. 

When he runs out against the Crows at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night, the GIANTS wingman will reach the 50-game milestone with a journey marked by setbacks, patience and perseverance. 

A first-round draft pick in 2020, Angwin's time in orange and charcoal has featured more than a few challenges, with injuries halting momentum at various stages of his career. But after establishing himself as a regular contributor across the 2026 season, the 23-year-old is now playing his best football. 

"It's been sort of a weird six years, I suppose," Angwin said. 

"There have been a few injuries along the way, and it probably took me a little bit longer than I'd like to find my feet at AFL level. 

"Focusing on this year and probably the back half of last year as well, it was nice to build some form and that confidence within myself to know that I can compete at the highest level. 

"To be able to string that together consistently this year has been nice." 

While injuries again interrupted his campaign in 2026, Angwin has been able to find a silver lining. 

A concussion and broken hand sidelined him for short periods, but unlike previous seasons where longer-term injuries stalled his progress, the Gippsland product was able to return and resume his form. 

"Obviously, I had a few hiccups throughout the year, but they weren't significant injuries, which was lucky," he said. 

"In previous years I've probably had a few where it's kept me out for longer than five or six weeks at a time, so to only miss two games at a time this year, as much as it sucked at the time, I could use it as a little bit of a strength. 

"I had a two or three-week period in the middle of the year to freshen up and be able to hit my strides again. 

"Once I was able to rebuild that confidence and get the hand and everything back on track, I can look back on it now and see it as a positive." 

One of the highlights of Angwin's season has been his growing partnership with fellow wingman Harvey Thomas. 

The pair turned summer training into a rivalry as they competed relentlessly against each other; a contest Angwin believes has elevated both players' performances. 

"He's a genuine star," Angwin said of Thomas. 

"He's a very highly rated player at our club and I think he's very highly rated by Champion Data as well. 

"Over the pre-season this year we became really competitive with each other. We were both playing wing the whole pre-season and made it our own little competition. We just didn't want each other to touch the footy at training...it was only going to make us better players. 

"It was great at the start of the year to go from competing against each other all summer to then playing alongside each other and competing with, rather than against. 

"I've loved having him on the other side and being able to work off him throughout the game." 

Angwin has also credited the club’s Midfield Coach Craig Jennings for helping him take his game to another level. 

Sharing Gippsland roots with Jennings helped forge an immediate connection, but it's the coach's attention to detail and commitment to player development that has had the greatest impact. 

"Jenno's been massive for me personally," Angwin said. 

"All he wants to do is see everybody get the most out of themselves. 

"He took it upon himself to help all of us wingers, especially me with my game, whether it's little craft things post-training or watching bits of vision here or there. 

"He always wanted us to improve and get better, and then on from that he wanted us to build off each other and work with each other as much as we can. 

"He's definitely been a massive key for me to be able to be in the position I am now." 

While the team's season hasn't unfolded as planned, Angwin remains confident the GIANTS are building towards a strong response. 

The midfielder describes 2026 as a campaign of missed opportunities but believes the group's best football proves there's every reason for optimism moving forward. 

"We had some really good performances, and we had some really bad performances," he said. 

"Unfortunately for us, those bad performances happened a bit too often and we've only got ourselves to blame for the season that we've had. 

"We know the team that's out on the track can get it done. We've seen that a few times this year. 

"I'll reflect a bit more after the Adelaide game and see what I can do to improve and help everybody else improve as well. 

"I know in 2027 we're going to come back out and be back to our best. There's no reason to write us off next year."