They were regarded suspiciously and enviously by other AFL clubs when they joined the competition but Greater Western Sydney have quickly ended up sharing their playing wealth with almost all of their rivals.
While salary cap pressures were inevitably going to result in the Giants losing some of their numerous high draft picks, their distribution has been widespread in just a handful of years.
Gold Coast and Geelong are the only AFL clubs who don’t currently have a former GWS player on their list, with ex-GWS players now plying their trade in every state.
Smart trading has enabled the Giants to add several more experienced players to their talent-laden list.
GWS have retained seven of their 11 first-round picks from their first draft in 2011, but just three of the 11 from the next three.
While they still have their top two picks from 2011 in Jonathon Patton (pick one ) and Stephen Coniglio (two), GWS subsequently offloaded four first-round choices to Victorian clubs in Dom Tyson (three), Will Hoskin Elliott (four), Liam Sumner (10) and Taylor Adams (13).
Most of their national draft first-round draft picks from the next three years have also moved on.
From their draft class of 2012, Jono O’Rourke (pick two), Lachie Plowman (three) and Kristian Jaksch (12) also ended up in Melbourne.
Tom Boyd, the No.1 pick in the 2013 draft, was traded to the Western Bulldogs, West Australian Cam McCarthy (14) returned to his home state while Josh Kelly (two) is off contract at the end of this year and coveted by Victorian clubs.
Incredibly, none of the Giants’ first five draft selections in 2014 are still at the club and between them they played just 24 games for GWS.
Three of them, Jarrod Pickett (pick four), Paul Ahern (seven) and Pat McKenna (23) never played a senior game, though each had injury issues at some stage, but all ended up in Victoria, along with while Caleb Marchbank (six) and Jack Steele (24).
Carlton, who have former Greater Western Sydney list manager Stephen Silvagni working in a similar capacity for them, have a staggering nine former GWS players on their roster, plus Harrison Macreadie, who was at the Giants academy.
Collingwood have fared well in picking up ex-GWS players too.
Adam Treloar, Adams and Will Hoskin-Elliott, who were all part of the Giants’ inaugural list, have become major contributors to the Magpies cause.
“Every year we’ve lost really good players,” Giants’ forward and foundation player Jeremy Cameron said.
“Guys in our first few seasons like Taylor Adams, he’s flying now, and Treloar, Hosko (Hoskin-Elliott), the other night (against Sydney).
“It’s great to see these guys playing some good footy, even though they’ve gone.
“We’ve got a really good list and a strong list, a hard working list, but I guess you can’t keep everyone.”
A TEAM OF PLAYERS INITIALLY DRAFTED BY GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY NOW AT OTHER AFL CLUBS.
Log: Player, current club, seasons spent at GWS, games played for GWS.
# indicates GWS first-round draft pick.
* B: Lachie Plowman# (Carlton, GWS 2013-15, 15 ), Jack Hombsch (Port Adelaide, GWS 2012, 9), Curtly Hampton, (Adelaide, GWS 2011-15, 51)
* HB: Sam Frost (Melbourne, GWS 2012-14, 21), Caleb Marchbank# (Carlton, GWS 2015-16, 7), Tomas Bugg (Melbourne, GWS 2012-15, 65).
* C: Taylor Adams# (Collingwood, GWS 2012-13, 31 ), Adam Treloar (Collingwood, GWS 2012-15, 79 ), Jonathan O’Rourke# (Hawthorn, GWS 2013-14, 9 ).
* HF: Will Hoskin-Elliott# (Collingwood, GWS 2012-16, 52), Tom Boyd# (Western Bulldogs, GWS 2014 , 9), Liam Sumner# (Carlton, GWS 2012-14, 12).
* F: Josh Bruce (St Kilda, GWS 2012-13, 14), Cam McCarthy#, (Fremantle, GWS 2014-15, 21), Shaun Edwards (Sydney, GWS 2012-13, 12)..
* R: Andrew Phillips (Carlton , GWS 2012, 2014-15, 14), Dom Tyson# (Melbourne, GWS 2012-13, 13), Jack Steele (St Kilda, GWS 2015-16, 17).
* I: Anthony Miles (Richmond, GWS 2012-13, 10), James Stewart (Essendon, GWS 2013-16, 18), Jacob Townsend (Richmond, GWS 2012-15, 28), Kristian Jaksch# (Melbourne, GWS 2013-14, 7).
