New GWS Giant coach Adam Kingsley says club not locked on top pick yet

It wasn’t just first day back for players at GWS, with new coach Adam Kingsley also out to impress.

News Giants coach Adam Kingsley is in the hot seat. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

New GWS coach Adam Kingsley has identified Collingwood’s fast ascension up the ladder in 2022 as the blueprint for a similar rise in his first season in charge.

Giants superstars Toby Greene and Josh Kelly were among the senior attendees on Monday as Kingsley took change of his first pre-season session, where the club’s No.1 draft pick options was a hot topic of conversation for the first-year coach.

The Giants are expected to anoint key forward Aaron Cadman, who was named an All-Australian and captained Victoria Country in this year’s national championships.

With three picks in the opening round of the draft and first pick in the second, Kingsley and his recruiting team have a strong hand, but he was reluctant to reveal much on Monday.

“He’s certainly in the mix,” Kingsley said of taking Cadman at No.1.

“He’s a very good player, we love the way he plays, but there are a number of players at the top end who we still need to work our way through and discuss the best fit for out footy club.

“I’ll certainly be fully aware of the options we have for that pick and all the picks we have.”

“We’ve got a great draft hand and we need to turn it into really good players.”

Aaron Cadman is a No.1 draft pick option. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

But with the potential influx of top-line young talent, Kingsley was adamant the turnaround for his team in 2023 could be Collingwood-like following the Magpies’ rise from 17th in 2021 to a preliminary final in 2022 under first-year coach Craig McRae.

The Giants battled all season, finishing 16th with just six wins, which prompted a coaching change from Leon Cameron to Kingsley, a long-time assistant now in the main chair for the first time.

“Collingwood were in our situation two years ago and under (McRae) were able to spike and finish in the to four,” Kingsley said.

“Are we able to do that? I don’t know. But what I do know is it’s a really hard competition to play in and we have to show up every week and play our best and if we do that, who knows where we can get to?

“I think they (Collingwood) did a fantastic job last year and as an example to us that anything is possible. If we put the work in, who knows what’s possible? That’s how we’ll attack it.”

Toby Greene will be key for the Giants. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

Kingsley said he was “really pleased” with the condition players returned and fitness would “certainly” be a priority for the pre-season having identified running out games as an issue for the Giants in 2022.

He also said it was “way too early” to make a call on whether the Giants would continue with their three-captain model that had Greene and Kelly sharing the leadership with Stephen Coniglio last season.

Originally published as New GWS Giant coach Adam Kingsley says club not locked on top pick yet