GWS forward-turned-defender Conor Stone has opened up on his decision to turn down the advances of Essendon and recommit to the Giants this year, stating the opportunity to break into Adam Kingsley's side after the exits of multiple defenders drove him to prove his worth.
Stone had an offer on the table from GWS prior to the trade period, while Victorian clubs - led by the Bombers - expressed an interest in luring the 13-gamer back home after a year mostly spent at VFL level.
The Giants were already working through a busy off-season as Harry Perryman (Collingwood), Isaac Cumming (Adelaide), James Peatling (Adelaide) and Nick Haynes (Carlton) all pursued moves elsewhere.
Having transitioned from a role as a medium forward to half-back midway through the year, the departures of Perryman and Cumming opened the door for Stone to carve out a role at AFL level after a "frustrating" season.
Essendon came calling with a "good opportunity" to potentially utilise his traits as a defender in the red and black, with Stone's mind made up after the Giants lost two senior defenders to free agency.
"At the end of the day, the decision came down to opportunity and nothing more," Stone toldย Zero Hanger.ย
"I absolutely love Sydney and the Giants. I never feel homesick. I do have family and friends in Melbourne, so the transition would have been quite comfortable, and there was good opportunity at both clubs, but with 'Pez' (Perryman) and 'Cheese' (Cumming) leaving, spots opened up in the team around my position and I think I'm good enough to take them. I thought there's not really much point in leaving if I'm good enough.
"In the middle of the year I wasn't really talking to my manager too much about the contract stuff. I just wanted to focus on staying healthy and playing good footy, which was driven by him as well.
"If 'Pez' and 'Cheese' had stayed, it would have changed my decision-making to a degree. Who knows what kind of scenarios would have been thrown up had they stayed, but I suppose them leaving and then conversations with 'Kingers' off the back of that did reassure me that there was a spot for me in the team.
"It's up to me whether I can take it, but there's an opportunity there."
2024 started positively for Stone, with the 22-year-old kicking 14 goals in his first five games in the VFL to place his name in the senior selection conversation. A promotion was hard to come by, with Stone waiting until Round 9 for a call-up against the Bombers - contributing a goal from five disposals before being subbed out.
He would play the week after against the Western Bulldogs as the tactical sub before falling out of the side once again, with the young Giant sparking discussions with VFL coach Wayne Cripps around a potential role change.
Stone averaged 23.74 disposals per game at the state league level following his move to half-back, which soon strengthened his chances of an AFL return. He would feature in two late season games for the Giants, however both came as the tactical sub for an average of just 12 per cent time on ground.
A starting role was likely to be handed to Stone in the club's final game of the home and away season, only for an untimely illness to rule him out of the must-win match.
"The very end of the season, where I missed out on playing in the finals and unfortunately fell ill before the Bulldogs game, was obviously quite frustrating. I would have loved the opportunity to get a full 120 minutes at half-back in the AFL side," he added.
"When I transitioned down to half-back, the growth and development that the coaches were able to give me was good and I just think it was the best move for my footy. Not that I wasn't enjoying playing forward, but I was just feeling more comfortable in my position and just feeling like I could impact the game a little bit more.
"I kind of joked about [the role change] with our VFL coach Wayne Cripps, because I had him (as a coach) at Oakleigh, and I was going to play half back in my under-18s year. I feel like it's my natural position. I suppose the attributes that the club saw in me, they thought I'd be able to make a good impact up forward.
"'Crippa' just came to me halfway through the year and said 'We're gonna trial it, we've got the green light from 'Kingers', so put your best foot forward.'
"Brett Montgomery, he's been really good for my growth, so have 'Crippa' and Jase Davenport, just with watching vision and going through what other AFL players might be thinking."
Despite the club shedding 465 games of experience with their four big exits, Stone knows a spot in the senior side will need to be earned.
The pre-season presents as the optimal window for the fringe Giant to learn from some of the best in the competition and impress his coaches, going head-to-head with the club's lethal small forwards at training and receiving the needed advice from his fellow half-backs.
"There's competition for it, because I'm not a bona fide AFL player yet, but I'm hoping to make that spot mine," Stone said.
"Hopefully over the pre-season I can build on my craft from last year. It helps that we've got some of the best small forwards in the game, so being able to play on them and learn what frustrates them as forwards is good for my development.
"Then being able to work alongside Connor Idun, Lachie Whitfield and Lachie Ash with their run and drive off half-back, it's good to get their input and think about what I can add to that as well."
Disappointed with his lack of AFL action this year, Stone still managed to find greater confidence in his game thanks to his positional switch.
While battling with "a bloody hard backline to crack into", the Giants swingman wanted to focus on the positives and challenge himself in his burgeoning career.
"From a whole season perspective, when you have a look at AFL games, it's kind of what you judge yourself on, especially when you've had a few seasons under your belt," he said.
"From that perspective, it's a little bit disapointing, but I think the overall growth I had - not only as a player but as a person... I certainly had a lot more confidence in my football last season compared to 2023. The move down back certainly helped that.
"It is a bloody hard backline to crack into. They've played the best part of two years together and gotten us to a preliminary final and a semi-final.
"It's still frustrating when your name's not picked on the team list, but it's good to be considered and in the conversation."
If there's an area to his game that Stone hopes to be known for, it's his leadership.
Entering his fifth season in orange, the former first-round pick has been left excited by the increased reliance and responsibility to teach the club's emerging ranks.
Setting no limitations on his growth and development, Stone is looking to match the game's best in adding to his abilities every day.
"I think there's an opportunity for me to keep developing my leadership skills. I really value that part of the game," he said.
"There's a little bit of an opportunity for me to (mentor younger teammates) and pull them aside to get their thoughts and tell them what I know. At the same time, I'm still growing, developing and learning.
"That's what the best players do, they just keep continuing to evolve their game and learn different things. I'm not one of the best players in the league by any stretch of the imagination, but I just want to have that consistent attitude of always wanting to learn and grow.
"It'll only make me more valuable to the team."
The Giants' 2025 season will commence with an Opening Round match against Collingwood at Engie Stadium on Sunday, March 9.
