Season 2026 - GWS

GWS

Coach – Adam Kingsley

2025 –

Points For – 5th
Points Against – 9th

Top 5 Best and Fairest

  1. Tom Green
  2. Finn Callaghan
  3. Connor Idun
  4. Lachie Ash
  5. Toby Greene

2025 Rising Star Noms

Joe Fonti (Rnd 20)
Harry Rowston (Rnd 23)

Ins – Finn Davis. Ben Jepson, Clayton Oliver, Oskar Taylor

Outs – Wade Derkson, Josh Fahey, Lachlan Keefe, Conor Stone, Callan Ward, Jacob Wehr

My Prediction

It feels a little like GWS have missed their window. I know they didn’t have a good year injury wise last year but I don’t know if they have refreshed their list enough for another genuine tilt. Bringing in a Clarrie three years after he was last effective anywhere except Chasers doesn’t move the needle for mine.

The backline is ok, Idun probably doesn’t get enough credit and Taylor is a gun. Whitfield and Ask deliver the ball as well as anyone off half back. They pay the price however for a team that doesn’t work hard enough back towards the opponents goal. Very happy to run towards their own goal but two way running has never been their bag.

The midfield reads very well on paper, Josh Kelly though has never really reached the heights he looked destined to reach, Coniglio has come back a little but again his impact isn’t there. This leaves a lot of work for Callaghan and Green both of whom get the job done pretty consistently. They could love a chop out from Oliver this year but I am not sure I see it happening. Darcy Jones will roll through and give them a little more run. It is an above average midfield that reads like an excellent one.

The forward line needs Greene to wind the clock back a couple of years and for Hogan to not be cooked. They need fat Stringer because he at least gets on the field and they need Cadman to keep improving and start to look like a number one draft pick. Bedford, Jones and Greene will give them the opportunist goals and we know their mids work hard downhill so goal scoring shouldn’t be an issue.

Briggs looked like becoming a gun two years ago and was ok last year. I think he will operate well in the new world with the new rules. He is mobile enough and effective enough in his tap work. The coach still has credits in the bank and seems to have them playing effective football. It will be interesting if they have a slow year, and I think they might.

I don’t know if GWS have much improvement in them. It would mostly have to come from their existing list and if anything they feel like they are dropping off slightly rather than improving. I think they will most likely make the eight but wont be a threat, 6-10 for mine.

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This sums it up pretty well I reckon.

A lot of their stars are fading and I can’t see any real improvement coming from their off season recruits.

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I can see them just dropping out of the 8. I don’t think they have the talent of some of the clubs who missed finals last year. Whenever you think they are looking like a top 4 team, they find a way to remind you why they’re not.

I still think they have the bones of a top 4 top outfit. But I say that every year….

Reckon they’ll fight out a spot between 6 and 10 and fade in the finals.

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Their forward line and backline are superb but their midfield is too weak to win a flag. Coniglio (like parish but old and mentally weak) and Kelly are cooked and running off their old reputations. Oliver will help a bit, but it’s really Green and Callaghan then nothing coming through.

They’ve missed their window by poor list management in not adding mature midfield talent post 2023, when they were the best team in it. So yeah great at both ends, but their midfield lacks depth to compete with teams like the lions that run about 6 deep in there.

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I think their list manager has got too ahead of himself in the past few drafts picking defenders and half forwards when they don’t bat very deep through that midfield.

They will need Oliver to regain form and moving guys like Ash in there but that would be losing a massive weapon off halfback

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Caruso is useless and has cost them a flag (despite being a nice bloke I’ve chatted to him before). If he were the Essendon recruiting manager we’d be burning the place down. He burns picks like crazy to move up a few spots and tries to be too clever, whilst leaving the midfield bare bones when the team is in the flag window.

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Never trusting an Italian list manager named Adrian should be the lesson out of this

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How could you forget Laverde in the in’s?

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Oh in that case definite flag /s

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Tom Green potential knee injury at training today

yikes. Would be in the top 3 players they cant afford to lose

They are absolutely COOKED now. Their midfield was already thin.

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First time Jake has ever been called that

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suspected ACL

they’re ■■■■■■

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Caruso leaving their midfield thin again means another year of no flag.

May they, and in particular Cal Ward, rot.

If Green’s knee is cooked, so are GWS.

Did anyone watch the gws doco last night? It’s getting great reviews from footy fans on Reddit.

He was very good in NYPD blue, but hasn’t done much since. Not sure he is a big loss