Before the current season began, the Greater Western Sydney Giants were talked about as being the favourites to win the competition. In their first game of the year, they visited Adelaide Oval and were demolished by an extremely attacking Crows side that would go on to become the minor premiers. The loss humbled Leon Cameron's men, teaching them a valuable lesson about the quality of the 2017 competition. From that game on, they've played with heart and gritty determination whilst displaying some magnificent footy.

The Giants finished up the normal season in fourth place with 60 points. Due to the Adelaide Crows' slip-up against the West Coast Eagles, if they would have won their last game against Geelong, they could have finished first and become the Minor Premiers. Unfortunately for them, the Cats defeated the Sydney team by 103 points to 59 in a dominant display that saw Geelong finish second.

GWS had done enough to secure themselves one of the much sought after top-four places, though, and that would have undoubtedly been the club’s primary target of the normal season. Even though they finished fourth, their percentage was only the sixth best out of the top eight, at 114.9, with only seventh-placed Essendon at 106.5, and eighth-placed West Coast at 107.7 with lower numbers. This will be something coach Leon Cameron will want to address as he tries to encourage his team to lock it up tighter at the back.

When they are playing at their best, there is no doubt they can overcome any team in the league and they will need to perform at the highest level if they wish to lift the trophy come the end of September. The Giants have several standout players in their side, and this was demonstrated by the number of representatives they had in the All-Australian 40-man squad. Four GWS players consisting of Toby Greene, Josh Kelly, Tom Scully and Dylan Sheil were all selected after each member had fantastic seasons for their club.

Finals football is always tough and, as we all know, anything can happen. The Giants currently sit as third-favourite behind Adelaide at 3.40 and the Sydney Swans at 5.50, and at this stage, it’s anybody’s premiership to win. Injuries and home ground advantages can sometimes make the difference in these tight and crucial games, and picking a winner can almost be near-impossible. Sometimes it’s worthwhile to see what the professionals think, which you can see at tipping sites such as Champion Bets, to get the inside information and the latest team updates.

Last year, Greater Western Sydney came so close to making it to the grand final, going down to eventual winners the Western Bulldogs in the first preliminary final by six points. That loss will still be fresh in the minds of the team and they will be giving it everything they have in this campaign to reward their loyal supporters and bring the trophy back to the west of Sydney.