GWS breaks membership record, Toby Greene to captain again in 2024

A stunning statistic shows GWS Giants are winning the battle over the NRL in Sydney as they race towards a record membership tally in 2024.

Toby Greene will again lead the Giants in 2024 as the club celebrates a new membership record before a ball has been kicked this season.

On Friday, the Giants announced that they had passed 25,000 members in the quickest time in their history as they look to build on their preliminary final appearance last year. The club reached a new membership record of 33,036 in 2023 and is confident of surpassing that total again.

Greene’s appointment as stand-alone captain marks an unchanged leadership group as they put their faith in the team that led the Giants back to premiership contention.

GWS fans show their colours at the MCG. Picture: Phil Hillyard

The 30-year-old had an incredible season in 2023 that saw him finish with a career-high 66 goals, win the club’s Kevin Sheedy Medal, and be named captain of the All-Australian side.

Continuing on this leadership path is something that he’s looking forward to exploring and he believes the Giants can reach new heights this season with a young team by his side.

“It’s a massive honour to continue to lead this footy club,” Greene said.

“I learnt a lot last year with it being my first time as sole captain and I really enjoy the role and everything that comes with it.

“There’s no doubt it took a while for me to get to this point, but I’ve worked a lot on my leadership skills and have come a long way and I love leading this club.”

Greene embraced the pressure of leading the Giants through their finals campaign. Picture: Phil Hillyard

The talented forward will be joined by Stephen Coniglio and Josh Kelly as vice-captains. Tom Green, Harry Perryman, Sam Taylor and Connor Idun have all retained their roles in the leadership group.

“We are really building a stable core unit of leaders that can take this club forward into what I think is a super exciting time for the club,” Greene said.

“We’ve got a great mix of older guys but also a real variety within the leadership group and I love seeing guys like Tom Green, Sam Taylor, Connor Idun and Harry Perryman continue to become better leaders as it makes the team better and the club as a whole.

“Following off the back end of last year I think the group is in a great spot and we’re all excited for the season to get started in a few weeks.”

Originally published as GWS breaks membership record, Toby Greene to captain again in 2024