Nick Bowen believes that GWS' recruitment of former Richmond midfielder Brett Deledio, along with steady growth in the club's younger talent, may see the Giants on track for a highly dominant 2017 season.
The AFL.com.au reporter says that the Giants, who were narrowly defeated by eventual premiers the Western Bulldogs in a preliminary final last year, will massively benefit from the addition of the two-time All-Australian.
He believes that if Deledio avoids the injury troubles that hampered his final years at the Tigers, GWS loom as a frightening prospect in only their sixth year of existence as an AFL side.
“GWS I think could be scary,” Bowen said on SEN’s Sunday SportSENtral.
“They get Brett Deledio now, who has had his injury problems over the past few years but he is an A-grader. He is a star.
“I think if they get a full year out of him and they have a level run of injuries, I think they will be great to watch. They are such an exciting team to watch.”
Bowen says that the 29-year-old would be better suited to spend most of his time in GWS’s forward line, rather in in the midfield or off half-back.
“As good as a midfielder that (Deledio) is, his ability to lead up the ground and do some different things in the forward line presents a really tough matchup,” he said.
The AFL Media writer believes that the Giants will learn plenty from their debut finals series last year, particularly the club’s crop of developing stars.
"If you look at how close they got last year – they didn’t play a great game in that preliminary final. I think that for whatever reason, the occasion got the better of them and they still hung in there," said Bowen.
"There is just such scope for organic growth with them. Most of the players are still young."
He says that he would personally enjoy seeing the Giants attain success in 2017 and beyond, even if they end up becoming the AFL’s dominant team for years to come.
“I like them because I think they are just so good and they are young kids,” he said.
“They’ve had to pay their dues. I know a lot of other Victorian teams will point out the extent of the draft concessions that they had but they also did their time.
“I love watching Jeremy Cameron play and I love watching Dylan Shiel and I love their midfield so if a team is good enough and their brand of football is good enough, I’ll watch it.
“I think Leon Cameron has done a really good job as coach, both in terms of what he has brought to the team on the field but I think he is a really engaging media performer in a market that is a really tough one. When the Swans are the number one team in town, I think he has done a really good job.”
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