Phil Davis has hailed the unselfish attitude of his GWS co-captain Callan Ward and luckless Brett Deledio, two Giants hard-luck stories as the club prepares for its first AFL grand final.
Midfielder Ward, who missed just a handful of games through the Giants’ first seven seasons and still holds their appearances record, has played just one match this year after undergoing a knee reconstruction.
Former Richmond star Deledio, who is retiring at the end of the season, has suffered over 30 calf injuries in his three years at the Giants.
The latest came in the elimination final earlier this month and, while he’s not been officially ruled out, it’s considered highly unlikely he’ll play Saturday’s big game against his old club.
“With all those kind of stories there’s no doubt there’s an element of hardship and ‘woe is me’ but you would never tell with those two in particular,” Davis said.
“Wardy’s year has just been exceptional from a leadership point of view.
“I’m very fortunate and proud to be his co-captain. His work behind the scenes has been enormous and what he did yesterday on the bench and through the week has been huge.
“He’s more excited than anyone else. He loves it and Brett is the same
“Someone that has been through some ups and downs, in particular over the last three or four years, last night he (Deledio) was as happy as anyone and you wouldn’t even know that there was an element of ‘woe is me’
“I think he’s just an exceptional character and I think that’s what makes the fabric of this football club so special.
“No matter your situation the boys and everyone associated just want us to win it’s always an us mentality, never a me mentality.”
Another Giant earning Davis’s praise was 2019 Coleman Medallist Jeremy Cameron, who found a stranger’s wallet before Saturday’s game and wrote a note to the owner and included $50 to buy some Giants gear.
“He (Cameron) is just a true blue great bloke,” Davis said.
“You talk about fabric of the footy club, he’s well entrenched as anyone there is.
“Most people don’t even bother to make the effort to get a wallet and (hand it in) it let alone put 50 bucks in it
“A bit of good karma never goes too far astray.”