As we look to round out the 2026 AFL season at the Kevin Sheedy Medal on Thursday night, we sat down to review some of the season with GIANTS Executive General Manager of Football, Jason McCartney.
Q: When you look at the season as a whole, what are some of your key takeaways?
Jason McCartney: We obviously weren't as consistent as we'd like to be and we didn’t make finals, but the positive is that we got to unearth a lot of young talent and get games into youngsters.
We showed that our best was still very capable against some of the better teams [beating Fremantle, Brisbane, Hawthorn, Geelong, Melbourne] in the competition, but the inconsistency was a challenge.
The positives are that some of the younger players got some opportunities, probably a little bit ahead of time, but they all acquitted themselves very well. It gives us a really good insight around the capabilities of our list, with so many players getting AFL exposure.
Q: Did you feel it highlighted the club's depth, with obviously an extensive injury list, that we were able to bring these blokes in and they were able to perform?
Jason McCartney: Yeah, it definitely does.
We've got a high level of confidence in the group we've got. Obviously, we still need to keep adding to that in specific areas, but we've certainly got a good group to work with.
The opportunities provided to some of our younger players this season this year and their ability to acquit themselves well has helped formulate a clearer picture on our list strategy moving forward.
Q: We had five debutants this year - Phoenix Gothard, Ollie Hannaford, Harry Oliver, Riley Hamilton, and Jack Ough. How happy were you with blooding those young guys at AFL level, and their performances?
Jason McCartney: They did well to get the opportunity, but they also showed really good signs at AFL level, which is really encouraging for the future.
The VFL program was really important as part of the development program, so they had some really strong performances there, which made it somewhat more of a smooth transition when they did go into AFL.
The VFL program plays a huge role in their development and having them AFL-ready.
Q: Why is the VFL so important from a development aspect in getting players AFL-ready?
Jason McCartney:
It was a strong year from our VFL program and it’s
the critical match component of the development program. The coaching and the system flows straight through, and getting these guys to regularly play the roles in the VFL that we think they're going to be able to play at AFL level means that when they come in, it's a smoother transition.
Q: A highlight of the year was Lachie Ash's season which saw him make the All -Australian team for the first time. What did you make of his year?
Jason McCartney: He’s been a high-level performer for a little while now, but he's added a layer to his game each year.
To win the best on ground for Victoria in the State of Origin at the start of the year and carry that right through to get his first All-Australian blazer was outstanding.
Q: And Clayton's addition to the side and making the All-Australian squad?
Jason McCartney: To have Clayton come in and do what he did was huge for us, especially when you consider Tom Green not playing a game.
It was an exceptional first-up season for Clayton, carrying a fair load in the midfield and great that he was rewarded with selection in the All Australian Squad.
It’s exciting to think what the midfield will look like when we add Tom back in next year.
Q: We had a bunch of re-signings this year - Harvey Thomas, Joey Delana, Jayden Laverde, Riley Hamilton, Nick Madden, and Max Gruzewski. That must be exciting to lock away those guys and give them more opportunities moving forward as well?
Jason McCartney: It was great to get all those deals done, those guys all play valuable roles within the team.
We got several boys signed up the year prior that would have been out of contract this year and who would have been free agents.
They're all important players to get locked away for the future.
Q: And then, looking forward to next year, we've hopefully got Tom Green fit and firing ready to come back, as well as Darcy Jones, Brent Daniels, Josh Kelly and hopefully a few other blokes fit and healthy. What excites you about 2027?
Jason McCartney: It's the improvement from within again that’s exciting, especially the younger players.
Not necessarily the debutants, but I suppose, for example, the emergence of Harvey Thomas on a wing and Ryan Angwin as well. So there's a number of boys who took steps forward this year.
Max Gruzewski spending more time forward and getting more opportunities was a big plus this year and that’ll only continue next year.
So it's exciting that we’ve got a lot of growth to still come from within, along with the fact that a number of high-quality players are returning from injury.
We’ll celebrate some individuals at the Kevin Sheedy Medal on Thursday and then the boys will have some time off before they return in November ready to get to work and excited about what we can achieve next year.
