‘We want to be feared’: Why Connor Idun and the Giants believe they can be the number-one defence in the AFL
Connor Idun earns his money battling with – and beating – the scariest forwards in the AFL, but he’d take it any day over his old job in the fish and chip shop. He won’t rest until the Giants win their maiden premiership.
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Giants defender Connor Idun has never been one to forget where he came from.
The 23-year-old has established himself as one of the best one-on-one defenders in the AFL. It’s an unforgiving task at the best of times, but it’s far better than his alternate career path.
“If I didn’t get drafted I’d probably still be working at the fish and chip shop doing not much,” Idun said.
“I was stuffing a few chickens, doing the dishes and stuff. Then I worked at a hardware store as well, putting hay bales in the back of cars.
“So, I’d definitely rather be playing footy.”
Born in London and raised in Geelong, footy was the perfect escape for the athletically-gifted Idun. His work in defence for Vic Country earned plenty of plaudits in the under-18 national championships and he loomed as a promising prospect for the draft.
But as the rounds went by, the versatile key-position player kept waiting for his name to be called. By the time the third round finished, he thought the opportunity might have passed him by.
The Giants traded with St Kilda to move up to pick 61 to select Idun. It was a draft that has proved to be fruitful for GWS as they also added Xavier O’Halloran and Kieren Briggs at picks 22 and 34 respectively.
Idun is forever indebted to the Giants for taking a chance on him, but the fact that so many teams passed on him has given him a point to prove.
“It’s a bit of both,” he said. “I did slide a bit and there are a lot of clubs that didn’t pick me.
“For me mostly it’s repaying the faith that the Giants put into me. I’m living my dream at this club and I’m allowed to be me at the Giants. I love it.”
In his early years, Idun struggled with the transition to professionalism and admits he didn’t make the most of being on an AFL list.
Yet, it’s that journey that has made him the player he is today. Starting as a forward in junior footy, the Giants have moulded him not only into a brilliant defender but also a future captain as part of their leadership group.
“I probably somewhat wasted my first couple of years in the club and took it for granted where I was,” Idun said.
“It was more coaches pulling me back into line because skin folds were pretty high and the two-kilometre (time trial) was not good.
“But a lot of the boys helped me out. Phil Davis, Nick Haynes, those older defenders sort of took me under their wing and they helped grow my confidence. I knew what it took and I put my head down and bum up and had great resources around me.
“I’m so proud of the last four years and what I’ve been able to achieve. But it’s only the tip of the iceberg for me and I’m keen to kick on and continue on this trajectory.”
FORMIDABLE FOES DOWN BACK
While Idun hopes there might be a chance for him to get forward in 2024 – “I try and get Kingers (coach Adam Kingsley) to swing me forward so I can kick a goal, but he’s not having a bar of that,” he said – his clear goal is to help the Giants become the best defence in the AFL.
From round 13 onwards, that’s exactly what they were. The formidable backline led by Idun, Sam Taylor and Jack Buckley was the best team in the competition for points against and points from turnovers.
However, they know there is now an expectation to rise to another level this season. The Giants can no longer fly under the radar.
“I guess pressure is a good thing,” Idun said. “If we’re rated as one of the best defences in the league, I guess that’s a compliment to us.
“It’s up to us to keep that mantle and try and be the best defence in the comp. We don’t take that lightly coming up against any forward line. But when people challenge us, it makes us better.”
The beauty of the Giants’ defence is their ability to work as a unit. They’re content for their teammates to have their moments and chip in when required. They also emphasise the importance of celebrating the little wins.
That mindset breeds belief, and Idun’s confidence in his work is sky-high as a result.
“We’re all just proud of each other,” Idun said. “If I see one of the boys take an intercept mark, I’m not going to be jealous. I’m happy with that.
“We’re pretty good at celebrating in the back seven. So a big spoil over the boundary and a couple of yahoos is something I love.
“If you don’t celebrate, it becomes a bit under-appreciated and you take it a bit for granted. We’re all pretty young in that backline. So having fun and working hard, it’s something that just makes the time go quicker.
“I’ve sort of held my own against pretty much every player in the league and I’m pretty confident in my ability to defend one-on-one. That’s my one-wood as a player, that’s what pays the bills.”
The Giants are not just satisfied with improving year on year. Not only do they want to be the best, Kingsley has given them the belief that they can be.
And their opening game of the year against Collingwood can’t come soon enough given the lofty goals Idun has for 2024.
“I want to see a premiership medal, that’s our goal,” Idun said.
“We’re probably not known as the number one backline yet. We need to be more consistent, last year we started the year off slowly as a back seven and that probably hurt us.
“We want to be known as the best and we want to be feared by other teams forwards.”
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