Greater Western Sydney entered foreign waters in 2022, slumping to 16th on the AFL ladder with a dismal 6 wins alongside their name, a position of uncharted territory in recent years.
With last season offering little to cheer about for the Orange army, attention swiftly turned to the draft in welcoming prized No.1 pick Aaron Cadman, along with a host of young top-end talent.
As Cadman, a GWV Rebels product, joined teammates at Olympic Park, a mass exodus of stars wound up Victorian bound, after the trade period was responsible for the departure of a core group.
The Giants, who finished 6-16 last year, continually place youth high on their agenda as they slowly work back into premiership contention, heading into their 12th season in the AFL.
Heading into what shapes as a long season for the Giants, we've asked the five burning questions surrounding the club ahead of their 2023 campaign.
Injury troubles have burdened the time of Finn Callaghan since joining the Giants as their 3rd overall pick in the 2021 National Draft, only managing to play a handful of senior games.
With club doctors opting to head down the surgery path, the 19-year-old will face an interrupted preseason but from all reports his name will be thrown in the ring for the season opener.
The highly touted Sandringham Dragons wingman will be hoping to roam free between the arcs with his hunger on full display, after having a taste of the top level in his debut season.
Lofty expectations are attached to the trusty left footer, with the Giant tipped to have a breakout year in the orange and charcoal, stipulating his body doesn't dish up any more curveballs.
Newly appointed head coach Adam Kingsley will be firmly under the microscope heading into season 2022, with the former Richmond assistant set to be tested after winning the job in August.
With the Giants entering a transitional period under Kingsley, the clubs fresh faced direction looks promising with an entirely new-look coaching group surrounding the 47-year-old in his first year.
Jeremy Laidler is set to be in charge of the forwards, Ben Hart arrives as the midfield coach, whilst Brett Montgomery leads the backline group and Jason Mcartney sits in the head of football role.
Kingsley takes over from Leon Cameron who remained in the top job for 8 seasons, after a mutual decision to step down between him and the board ended his tenure in charge at the Giants.
The midfield stocks of GWS fell victim to a trade period that saw the homesick Tanner Bruhn opt for a move back to Geelong, whilst sporadically used tagger Matt De Boer hung up the boots.
Midfielders Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper joined forces with Richmond to further deplete the Giants engine room, leaving a gaping hole in their depth department heading into 2023.
The weight of the centre bounces now fall on the shoulders of experienced campaigner Josh Kelly and proven professional Stephen Coniglio, aided by the emergence of youngster Tom Green.
With Coniglio resurfacing as an elite midfielder in 2022, after form struggles of late, the 27-year-old added another string to his bow in his ability to hit the scoreboard when transitioning forward.
Ruckman Brayden Preuss will be relied upon heavily to stand tall, after battling injury for the majority of 2022, coupled with time out with sanctions handed down by the match review officer.
The inspired move of Harry Himmelberg to play the role of an intercepting defensive sweeper was one caretaker coach Mark McVeigh sprung on the 26-year-old during his tenure.
Shortly after slotting into the new position, Himmelberg was a shining light in a backline that was peppered, prompting former coach Leon Cameron to jokingly pose the question to McVeigh.
"How long have you kept that one up your sleeve?," Cameron asked.
Himmelberg relished his time in the Giants' defensive six setup posting career best numbers as a result, with rebound 50 numbers matching those at the top of their game in Steven May and James Sicily.
With Kingsley now the magnet mover, the new head coach would be silly to try and ring out whatever forward craft he has left in him, instead to work on the art of Himmelberg reading the play with a defensive mindset.
Heading into free agency following this year, the Giants will be on notice to get this right, in order to secure his services down the track by playing him in a spot where he thrives in his last contracted season.
The Giants have finally made their captaincy call for their first year of the Kingsley era, naming Toby Greene as standalone skipper for 2023.
GWS have followed the three-captaincy model that has been working wonders for their crosstown rivals in the past, with Josh Kelly and Stephen Coniglio serving alongside Greene last year as co-captains, but have differed from the path this season.
The rebuilding club has made the sole skipper call, with the divisive Greene now set to lead the club with Kelly and Coniglio as his vice-captains.
Heading into what could be a tough season in the west after an off-season exodus of talent, only time will tell if the Giants made the right choice on their captaincy call.