It’s no suprise the Giants zig when others zag on draft night — because it keeps working

Taking the best-available player in the draft is a tried and true strategy over many years. That’s not the Giants’ way however, and zigging when other teams zag continues to pay dividends.

When Phoenix Gothard heard his name called out by the Giants with the 12th pick of the 2023 AFL draft, no one was more shocked than the teenager, who desperately had to borrow a polo shirt from a mate before going on stage to shake hands with Phil Davis.

But to those who have watched the Giants’ left-field draft selections in recent years, it wouldn’t have come as a true surprise.

Led by GWS head of talent Adrian Caruso and footy manager Jason McCartney, the club has become the exemplar for taking calculated risks on draft night.

Most teams, especially those lower on the ladder, have tended to focus on taking the best-available player. It’s a tried and true strategy over many years.

GWS list manager Adrian Caruso. Picture: Michael Klein

That’s not the Giants’ way, who in every sense love to zig when other teams zag, particularly when it comes to recruitment.

While some clubs and recruiters question the gambles taken by GWS, whether it’s selecting bolters or maximising their position through pick trades, Caruso’s unique draft strategy always seems to pay off.

“It doesn’t worry me what people say or think,” Caruso said.

“At the end of the day, we’re pretty strong in our philosophy, and it’s supported by Kingers (Adam Kingsley) and Jase.

“If people think that we’re being bold, yeah, maybe we are. But I’d rather give ourselves a chance than go for players that might seem a bit safer because they have runs on the board or might just be good players.

“I ultimately don’t think we’ve been as risky as people might think. People will think about the Gothard pick. And I mean, Cody Angove last year was someone talked about going late in the draft, and we were prepared to call him out in the 20s.

“The draft does drop off pretty quickly, generally. So it’s not as if you’re overlooking high-end players, to be specific. But we keep it pretty simple. This is our philosophy. This is what we’re trying to draft for. Let’s find the players that tick those boxes first.”

Top 2024 pick Cody Angove. Picture: Phil Hillyard

A dozen Giants’ selections over the past five years could fall into the category of ‘draft bolters’ – where their pick was substantially earlier than expected.

They range from a youngster like Aaron Cadman, who was rated as the fifth-best player going into the 2022 draft only for the Giants to trade up and select him at No.1. To a player more recently like Angove, who they selected with their final first-round pick in 2024 when the young WA half-forward wasn’t even rated in the top 60.

“Leek Aleer was one that was very position-specific as well,” draft expert Kevin Sheehan said.

“Others might’ve had him in the 30s or 40s, but they’d identified a tall defender as important for them. And that’s great.

“I love (Caruso’s) lateral thinking and not to put out the standard next best available. Most clubs would say early, it’s going to be very much based on the best player available. Then later on, they’ll look at the balance, and they might go a bit position-specific.

“But you’ve got to create your own thinking as a recruiter because it’s not all written out for you. They’ve preferred to go with the needs a bit earlier than some of the clubs, and I think with great success.”

It’s a position the Giants are clearly afforded thanks to the strength of their squad, which not only regularly competes in finals but is rarely found wanting in terms of depth. That has been helped in recent years by a shift to focusing on country talent, or players they have identified as being less of a flight risk.

However, the depth also stems from testing how players respond to the demands of the Giants’ game style – high pressing, quick transition and efficient ball use. If they’re not going to cope with the demands of the orange tsunami, then there’s no point putting them in a GWS guernsey even if they’re the best player in their class.

That turns out to be the key to Caruso’s choices. As he said in a behind-the-scenes documentary of the 2023 draft, the club rated Gothard above now-Essendon forward Nate Caddy because of what he could contribute on both sides of the ball.

And as long as the Giants keep punching above their weight, Caruso is more than happy to push through the noise and persist with his strategy.

“Our club and system are so specific in terms of what we’re looking for, I’d rather target players that suit that,” Caruso said. “It’s more, what are Giants’ attributes, and let’s focus on that.

“If our draft board has eight to 10 names on it, whereas everyone else’s has 30 to 40, I’m comfortable with that. Being targeted makes sure we’re bringing in players who are a chance of surviving in our system.

“If we go on pure talent and just bring in players because they’ve got ability, if they don’t fit what we’re doing, to me, it’s a waste of a draft pick.

“We have to list manage through the draft, so that’s probably why we do draft a bit differently. We can’t go and trade players in because our cap is pretty tight. We’ve had to bring players in through the draft that we think will fill the holes that we have because we’re not in the trade or free agency space.

“We might be picking players that others might not rank anywhere near as high. But my philosophy has always been to draft players that suit what makes a Giants player. And I’m happy to keep sticking to that until I get proven otherwise.”

Originally published as It’s no suprise the Giants zig when others zag on draft night — because it keeps working