Giants CEO Dave Matthews stokes the flames ahead of Opening Round clash
GWS Giants CEO Dave Matthews has made his club’s feeling towards Collingwood no secret ahead of their season opener in three weeks time.
AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Giants have stoked the flames ahead of their opening-round clash against Collingwood with CEO Dave Matthews claiming the hate is real for the side that knocked them out of the 2023 finals series.
GWS is no stranger to building a rivalry off the back of finals heartache. Their battles with the Western Bulldogs have been compulsory viewing ever since the visitors came away with a win in the 2016 preliminary final at Giants Stadium.
But the Pies could now be second on the list for the Giants after the one-point loss in last year’s preliminary final, and Mason Cox’s subsequent dig at their home ground.
“I mean we hate Collingwood almost as much as we hate the Swans,” Matthews said.
“I think we’ve been so hungry since losing that preliminary final by a point. The season couldn’t come around quickly enough after a result like that.
“We’re very pleased with our year last year overall but ultimately disappointed with the way it finished.
“So they’re the perfect opponent for us in the opening round. We think the game will sell out and we just want to see a packed Giants Stadium and get away with four points.”
Matthews is a huge fan of the new Opening Round concept and believes the new AFL administration led by Andrew Dillon has shown increased initiative in growing the sport in the northern states.
But he also understands the club has to capitalise on that momentum to create stronger crowds and an even larger interest in the Giants’ brand, with the game against Collingwood well on track to become their highest regular season crowd outside of Sydney Derbys.
“It’s one of the biggest home and away fixtures that the AFL has ever delivered to Sydney so we can’t wait for that opportunity,” Matthews said.
“I think you need to be winning to capture the imagination of people in Sydney and we’re clearly trying to build the game for the AFL through the vehicle of the Giants.
“Off the back of a couple of down years and the period during Covid, last year I think breathed new life into the Giants and I think in many ways we exceeded our own expectations, not just the expectations of the football world.
“It’s also part of the momentum that the AFL has created by Andrew Dillon and his team deciding on opening round. It was a bold decision, we’ve been waiting for a decision like that for a number of years and Andrew Dillon and his team have delivered.”
As a club, the Giants celebrated a new landmark membership record on Friday as they passed 25,000 members for the quickest time in their history.
That mark puts them only behind the Swans, Parramatta Eels and South Sydney Rabbitohs for sporting memberships in Sydney. By the end of 2023, they had also surpassed the Rabbitohs’ figure.
Despite some claims online, the highly-publicised Kayo Digital GIANT Membership that includes 12-month access to the streaming service makes up far less than 1,000 of the total figure. The club has also already sold more full Giants Stadium reserved-seat memberships than it did by the end of 203.
Matthews says the goal for this year would be to surpass 35,000 members which could make the Swans and Giants the two largest membership bases in NSW despite being in rugby league heartland.
“(Sydney Swans chairman) Andrew Pridham I think said [the Swans want] 100,000 but they are 150 years old and they were a Melbourne side originally,” Matthews said.
“I think this year we’ll get close to 35,000. I think we’ll sell out the opening round and the game against the Swans. Games in Canberra are going to be at capacity.
“We play entertaining football. We play it in a stadium that is regarded as one of the best for fans in Australia.
“I think the feedback I’ve had a lot since last year’s finish is that if we’re not your first team, we’re probably your second team. So our challenge is to convert people who probably think we’re their second team into becoming their first team.”
Originally published as Giants CEO Dave Matthews stokes the flames ahead of Opening Round clash
The 30 AFL players that remain in contract limbo
Ahead of a ‘Super Draft’, clubs are cutting their lists hard. With the total number of delisted players set to eclipse 100, there are still plenty of players nervously awaiting a call on their futures.
How AI is changing AFL – and why it’s making people nervous
Artificial intelligence is creeping into the AFL, begging the question could computer coach an AFL team one day? SHANNON GILL explores footy’s biggest change.