Bathurst Giants put pre-season focus on supportive culture following passing of club mate Oscar Mann

Nothing takes a more considerable emotional toll on a team than the loss of a club mate, and that's a tough experience the Giants recently went through with the passing of Oscar Mann.

Mann was a much valued and respected member of the senior men's team and in and every junior side he had been a part of since the Giants' formation, so his absence will be felt both on and off the field.

The early days of a pre-season, for teams in any sport, is to use any practice sessions as a team bonding experience, and for the Giants that rings more true than ever in 2022.

Kennedy believes that the best way to honour Mann's memory and what he meant to the Giants isn't through results but through the continuation of the club's positive culture that he formed a part of.

"We've had one training run and a good week planned for Monday and Wednesday to try and get the guys focused a bit," he said.

"It's been a sad week for us with Oscar's funeral but we had a really good send off for him, we all watched together down at Panthers, and it was a good day under bad circumstances.

"It's hard working through the emotional side - when to bring it out and not to bring it out. We'll have a talk about that with the coaches, and getting around the players to support them and get them enjoying their footy.

"At the moment it's about getting them back together, getting the cobwebs out, having a kick and a bit of a giggle. A lot of the pre-season stuff I've designed this year are around getting a football in the hands."

Giants were on the verge of their first taste of senior men's premiership glory for the first time when COVID-19 ended the 2021 season before their home grand final could be played.

There will be a sense of unfinished business for the Giants after they finished the regular season with 10 wins from their 12 matches.

"Hopefully they can get the rounds sorted this year. There's talk of 15 rounds and it's my thoughts that we should keep some extra weeks up our sleeve because COVID isn't going to go away," Kennedy said.

"That way we don't fall into the position we did last year where we aren't able to play finals."

Kennedy expects the club's junior stocks to once again be a strong point for the team.

That should come as no surprise after the Giants made the under 17s grand final last season with an unbeaten record, and the club fielded a second tier side for the first time.

"We have similar strengths to last year and we've got a lot of young guys coming through, which has always been a strength of our club," Kennedy said.

"We've got young Will Sloan who wants to step up this year and play some first grade games. He benefitted so much from going down to the training sessions with the GWS squad, and he's brought those skills and fitness back to Bathurst.

"It's swings and roundabouts each year though, and you never know what you're going to get until that first bounce of the ball."

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