That doesn’t bother his father, long ago ensconced in the Giants family.

“I’ll be happy to go to the games, maybe just not covered in bright orange waving flags … that’s definitely more his thing.” Ben Costello, Mark’s 26-year-old son, said he prefers to watch the games at the pub. While Pusey and Costello will be hoping to hear the club’s song, Big Big Sound, played on Saturday night, one GWS fan will be not be there in person. “The group has helped us as members and supporters in South Australia to feel a part of the Giants community.”

It’s small – just 122 members on Facebook – but South Australia-based fan Darren Pusey said it has made supporting the team “even more enjoyable” since its establishment three years ago. We lost Bobby Hill, Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper – that seems to happen year after year.”Ĭostello will attend the game on Saturday alongside members of the Adelaide branch of the Giants’ supporter group. “We’re always worried about recruiting players that don’t stay around and go back to their home states. He argues there’s high parking costs for fans at its Sydney base at Homebush, along with substandard public transport links that are prone to trackwork.īut the issue most heavily discussed among members of the cheer squad is player retention. “It’s hard to build a base when you don’t have as many games as other clubs in their home city,” Costello said. A deal with the ACT government means GWS splits its home games between Sydney and Canberra. The 61-year-old Costello acknowledges the club still faces “many challenges”. GWS, despite boasting a record of never having been eliminated in the first week of the finals, have ultimately collected more critics than premierships. Alongside the Gold Coast Suns, one year older, the Giants have benefited from draft picks and head office investment that has often drawn envy from their southern rivals. The Giants debuted in the AFL in 2012 as part of the league’s strategic foray into the traditional rugby league territory of the northern states. “The interesting thing I find is that we are getting so many more young kids to games so, generationally, we’re starting to change.” In comparison, Collingwood, West Coast and Richmond boast more than 100,000, while rivals Sydney have 65,000.Ĭostello says the club’s supporter base is not only growing in number, it’s becoming different. Photograph: Supplied by Mark CostelloĪlthough the Giants averaged a little over 10,000 at their home matches this year, last week the club gained 33,000 members for the first time. Captain of the Giants’ cheer squad, Mark Costello, was in Adelaide for the 2017 qualifying final.

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