Brett Deledio to make long-awaited GWS Giants debut after 13 months out of AFL with injury
AFTER 13 agonising months on the sidelines an “emotional” ex-Richmond star Brett Deledio will return to the field to play his first match for GWS.
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IT’S the comeback story of the season, but GWS have declared Brett Deledio, a certain starter against Melbourne on Saturday, is “not their saviour”.
Following 13 agonising months on the sidelines, an “emotional” Deledio will return to the field to play his first match as a Giant after switching from Richmond at the end of last year.
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The against-the-odds recovery from incessant calf problems is set to inspire his GWS teammates, who are living on the edge heading into the finals, especially with star forward Jeremy Cameron out for three weeks with a hamstring injury.
GWS will not fall into the trap of relying on Deledio to be a knight in shining armour and insist the 243-game veteran will need time to rediscover his stride.
“I suppose the first thing I’d say is he’s not the saviour,” Giants football manager Wayne Campbell said.
“He’s a guy that hasn’t played for our footy club before. We got some real confidence out of last week, we got the four points and played better footy over the last couple of weeks. Hopefully he’ll add to that. He’s one small component of that.
“He’s a good player but he has to fit into the system and we’re not seeing him as the saviour at all.”
Being third heading into the final month wouldn’t suggest the Giants are living dangerously, however they have just one win from their past five starts.
Cameron’s absence puts enormous pressure on other senior players to lift given the Giants dropped both matches the big forward missed against Sydney and Richmond last month.
Deledio appears likely to spend time up forward covering for Cameron and in many ways it will be like a second debut for the 30-year-old who got his start as a No.1 draft pick 17-year-old in 2005.
Emotions will be running high for a man who wondered whether he could no longer trust his body.
“Any athlete who can’t do what they’re born to do get frustrated and maybe at times he couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Campbell said.
“To persevere the way he has especially in the circumstances, coming into a new club and not being able to play, he’s handled it really well. I think the boys are rapt that he’s going to be able to get out there on Saturday.
“I imagine there’s a bit of emotion there. Firstly to be playing his first game for his new club but to play the first game in 12 months is probably pretty emotional for him.”
Despite lurching from one injury to another, Campbell described Deledio as a leader around the hallways of his new club.
“The players got to see what a professional he is and how hard he trains and what he gives to his teammates,” Campbell said.
“It’s really exciting for him. He’ll make other players better around him, but it will take some time for him to get the speed of the game.”
Originally published as Brett Deledio to make long-awaited GWS Giants debut after 13 months out of AFL with injury
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