HE has two stars who were initially planning to play elsewhere on his roster, but when Mark Kennedy's side takes to the field for Saturday's AFL Central West season opener it will be in the main a case of the baby Giants.
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Graduating under 17s are set to form the core of Kennedy's squad for the 2020 tier one senior men's season and though they might concede experience to their rivals, they have a hunger to prove themselves.
They have skill, they have fitness and many of them played in two consecutive under 17s grand finals. It is why Kennedy is eager to see how they will step up and what they learn from their team-mates - players such as Nic Broes and Reilly Mitchell who will now return.
"The majority of our side this year is made of up local juniors coming through under 17s, which we are very proud of. I suppose 80 percent of my side is all juniors," Kennedy said.
Having that 16-a-side with the younger, fitter guys who can run into space and transition the ball quite well, who knows what will happen?
- Mark Kennedy
"You've got guys coming through like Rocco Yates and Liam Cooke, those two guys have put their hand up and said they want to have a run. You've got Zac Yandle who played last year for us and he's a solid little forward.
"Then you've got Jack Goodsell, he's going to come back and have a run this year and he's going to be a nice little half-forward target. Cooper Brien, Bailey Brien's brother, will play, he's the bigger of the Briens, the largest of the two.
"The when you throw in the mix Reilly Mitchell and Nic Broes, Dylan Furnell, he's back playing this year, Tim French into the centre, Shaun Noyen off the back line and Ryan Cooke, who is busting to get out there and play.
"Having that 16-a-side with the younger, fitter guys who can run into space and transition the ball quite well, who knows what will happen?"
Kennedy will get a good idea of what will happen in the shortened 11-week premiership this Saturday. His Giants will line up against the Bathurst Bushrangers, a side which includes a host of last year's premiership winning players, at George Park 1.
"I thin Bushrangers have got a really strong side this year, they'd have to go in as favourites," the coach said.
"They have been saying all along they want to put their best side on the ground, which they haven't had to when they split into two sides, so a competition like this is designed for them to be perfectly honest."
After opening their season against the Bushrangers, the Giants will spent two of the following three weeks in Bathurst as they travel to Dubbo to face the Demons, tackle another derby, then host the Orange Tigers in the four-team competition.
Three of their final four regular season matches will be away fixtures - twice meeting 2019 runners-up Orange in Orange and a road trip to Dubbo.
"The draw is the draw, you've just got to set yourself up and play each game on its merits, whether it's at home or away," Kennedy said.
"It is an advantage having two Bathurst sides in the competition, they've tried to even up the travel a little bit.
"We do have a few tough away games at the end of the season, but that's probably better for us because I think we will be more prepared with a few games under our belt before we go to those locations."
Preparation is something which has been limited for all teams this season due to the coronavirus pandemic. All clubs were initially halted from playing and training in March and when given the green light to resume training in late May, it was initially with strict social distancing measures.
Full contact training was only permitted this month. The Giants and Bushrangers have played intra-squad games to help them prepare, while the Demons and Tigers played a trial match on Friday.
With only the top three sides to advance to the two-week finals series, a strong start and good percentages are something Kennedy feels will be crucial. However, he is not placing any great expectations on his squad.
"You've got to come out quickly I suppose, get as many points as you can, and there's no holding back - if you get a jump on a side then you really need to put the pedal down and get the points because if there are an even number of wins between third and fourth, you need to have that percentage up," he said.
"I've said that this year is going to be a fun year for us, I've christened this year the COVID Cup.
"It's a competition so we'll go out there to compete, but there's no pressure for us, we'll rebuild and work on combinations for the new guys coming into the side and set up a good platform for them and their footy."
Meanwhile, Kennedy is also excited to see what the season brings for both the women's and youth girl's sides off the back of their build up. Both will enter their respective competitions as defending premiers.
The Liz-Kennedy coached women's outfit will begin their campaign with a rematch of last year's grand final, hosting the Lady Bushrangers this Saturday.
Like the men's side, the Giants' women's squad will feature a number of young talents.
"Liz's group is having a ball at training, every time all we can hear is laughter and giggle and fun coming from down their end of the field, which is great to hear," Mark Kennedy said.
"She's got a number of young players who have come on board and the youth girls want to play in the women's side as well, which is a real measure of your club."
