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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Andrew Brown

Canberra fans gear up for Giant success

There's a big, big sound coming from more than just the west of the town. It's also booming out of the nation's capital ahead of Saturday's AFL grand final.

And while the Giants may have Greater Western Sydney in front of their name, the team's large Canberra contingent in the side's second home are anxiously awaiting their first grand final appearance.

GWS Giants fans Marnie Gigliotti, Jeremy Wheller and Sandy Swift are getting behind the team ahead of the side's first grand final appearance on Saturday. Picture: Elesa Kurtz

Giants fan Marnie Gigliotti has been supporting the side since their introduction to the AFL, and has seen the side go from losing games by more than 100 points to now being one win away from their maiden premiership.

"They're very confident and they believe themselves," Ms Gigliotti said.

"Leon Cameron is an amazing coach and they've never given up."

While having grown up supporting Carlton, Ms Gigliotti started supporting the Giants, following the side's association with Canberra, after GWS signed a 10-year deal with the ACT government to bring matches to Manuka Oval.

For the newest team in the competition, Ms Gigliotti said the Giants have some of the most passionate of supporters.

"We don't miss a game when they're in Canberra," she said.

"Their motto of never surrender is huge. They lost some big names early in the season but others have stepped up and we've never lost faith, but I never have dreamed that we would get this far. I thought it would take us another couple of years to reach the final."

Of the side's more than 30,000 members, more than 6000 of them come from the Canberra region.

Several busloads of supporters from Canberra have made their way down the Hume Highway to be at the MCG for the game, where it's estimated there'll be 15,000 Giants fans among the army of Richmond fans.

Among the fans who'll be in the crowd for the grand final will be Colleen Kelly, who also heads up the Giants' Canberra supporter group.

After cheering on in the crowd during a tense preliminary final win over Collingwood last weekend, Ms Kelly said the significance of the game for Giants fans was unprecedented in the club's short history.

"Our family of four is going down in the car and we'll be able to be marching with the Giants Army to the ground and be at the MCG for the whole day," she said.

"We've enjoyed watching the team grow and develop and they're playing an exciting brand of football."

Ms Kelly said the Canberra fan base for the Giants has been growing, and would be set to grow even more should they win the grand final.

"A lot of Canberra AFL fans have said their children have been going for the Giants after they've been to matches in Canberra," she said.

"The grand final will be even more special, as so many players have been there from the beginning."

Ms Kelly said she hopes she and the thousands of other Giants supporters would be able to get their side across the line.

"I have a feeling that the Giants will win by less than 10," she said.

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