Bridging the gap: Greater Western Sydney's Tom Scully, Lachie Whitfield and Jonathan Patton with Josh Kennedy, Heath Grundy and Lewis Roberts-Thomson of the Swans. Photo: Dallas Kilponen
Eighteen months since he signed a contract that gave ample fodder to AFL gossip merchants, Tom Scully has admitted the criticism got to him at times last season but claimed he had no regrets and wouldn't change anything.
''I expected, with the decision I made, I was going to cop criticism no matter what. I fully expected that,'' the Giants vice-captain said. ''It's part of the industry we're in. I knew it was coming, and there were stages last year where the situation got pretty intense. But we all move on with what we've got to do.''
Scully, 21, begins his second season at Greater Western Sydney with the controversy surrounding his lucrative six-year deal behind him. The 2009 No.1 draft pick said his decision to join the Giants from Melbourne had been his alone and one he was comfortable with.
''People have got opinions, which they're entitled to,'' he says. ''As far as I'm concerned, I know my future's here … It was certainly a life-changing decision. But I don't look back and regret anything. I think it's the best decision I've made.''
In little over a week Scully will get to prove how far he and his team have come as they attempt to convert a promising pre-season into a good start to the competition against cross-town rivals, the Sydney Swans, in a clash now known as the Battle of the Bridge.
''It's still a pretty new thing, the rivalry, but it's been there from the start,'' he said. ''Now, with the Swans winning the premiership last year, it was great for football in Sydney and, for us, playing them in round one is going to be a great test.
''What they've done is something we aspire to do in the next couple of years. It's going to be great to see how far we've progressed in the past 12 months. Everyone's up for it. We're hoping for a big crowd there and hopefully they'll see a good performance.
''It's not very often you get a premiership side in a two-team town. To have the reigning premiers as your rivals is a great thing. They're the benchmark, which gives us something to really strive for. It gets people talking about footy, it gets more people involved, which can only be good for footy in this town.''
The Swans' success has lifted the code's profile in Sydney, but Scully's high-profile recruitment in 2011 put the Giants on the map. He said his job had been to ''help lay the foundations'' and ''help instil a new culture''. The past 12 months had been challenging, he conceded, but the big picture suggested the club was on the right track.
''We've built our membership base to 12,000 and my experience is that last year people were still pretty new to the idea,'' he said.
''People really know we're out there now and like that we're an up-and-coming side. People who watched us last year could see some really encouraging signs on the field and the club's made some really good inroads.''
Swans player Lewis Roberts-Thomson agreed. He said the Giants' 24-point pre-season win over the Swans had surprised the premiers. ''We saw them first-hand, they won and had a strong side on the park,'' he said.
''They played exceptionally well and certainly caught us off guard. They've definitely matured over the past 12 months. A few of the players have put on a bit of size and you can see that their fitness across the board is really good.
''We respect every opposition we come up against. Round one against the Giants will be no different … we look forward to the game.''
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