The prospect of winning an AFL premiership has convinced inaugural GWS Giants co-captain Phil Davis to commit to the club to 2018, less than a year after he suffered a career-threatening injury.
Key position defender Davis 24, was one of the first players to sign with the AFL’s youngest club, back in 2011.
Davis has extended his contract by two years, joining Toby Greene, Aidan Corr, Heath Shaw and new recruit Ryan Griffen in committing to the club to the end of the 2018 season.
He said it was a quick process and an easy decision to make and he expected more Giants to re-commit to the club as the season progresses.
“One of the main reasons I decided to extend was that this is the place where I think I’m the best chance to win a premiership and I’m excited about that and where we’re going,” Davis said.
Asked if it was realistic for the Giants to win a premiership by 2018, their seventh year in the competition Davis said: “I think by that time we’re definitely interested in being up there right at the pointy end and we think we should be in a position to do so.”
He proved his toughness and commitment to the Giants cause by fighting his way back to fitness in the second half of the 2014 campaign, after he was sidelined for three months by kidney damage he suffered in a first-round collision.
“When I was injured, I probably thought for a little bit there I’d just go off into the mist and retire,” Davis said.
“But I was fortunate I had some good health and I got better.”
Davis said he lost a little functionality in one of his kidneys but was 100 per cent fit.
“This pre-season I’ve trained without guards and without any real apprehension,” Davis said.
While several of the club’s best youngsters, including 2013 All-Australian forward Jeremy Cameron, are unsigned beyond this season, Giants’ CEO Dave Matthews said discussions were progressing well.
“We know that there’s a lot of scrutiny and interest in those players as there should be because they are talented players,” Matthews said.
“We expect in the coming weeks there will be further announcements, so we’re pretty relaxed at the moment.
Uncertainty remains over whether the Giants will retain the services of their inaugural coach Kevin Sheedy, who is now a club director and holds down a managerial position, but is being widely tipped to return to Essendon.
“I’m not surprised at all that Essendon has been very interested or linked (to Sheedy),” Matthews said.
“We’ve had some discussions with Essendon along those lines. We understand that it would be a great thing for them if they were able to get him back, but no decision has been made as yet.”
