[11] However, the venture was unsuccessful and after several games a season North Melbourne never managed to draw crowds of over 15,000 at the Sydney Cricket Ground before finally leaving the market for Canberra.

In 2006, the AFL introduced the NSW Scholarships scheme also known as the Talented Player Program (TPP), primarily aimed at juniors in West Sydney market to foster home grown talent and produce AFL players, a region which despite its large and growing population, had prior to the program, produced few professional Australian Footballers.

[13][14] The AFL was buoyed when it gained the support of then NSW premier Morris Iemma in late 2006, and the league became a partner in the Blacktown sporting facility in Rooty Hill, New South Wales.

[17][18] In March 2008, it was revealed by the media that the AFL had considered a radical proposal to launch an Irish-dominated team in Sydney's western suburbs, which would perform before an international audience under the "Celtic" brand name.

It was said that the proposal originated at the International Rules series in Ireland in late 2006 when O'Neill put forward a plan to purchase an AFL licence in Sydney.

The idea had been boosted by the hype generated by Tadhg Kennelly's appearance for Sydney in the AFL Grand Final, having become one of the club's better locally known players.

During 2008, the AFL Commission, whose agenda was to make a final decision on the Western Sydney Football Club, delayed it on multiple occasions.

On 15 April 2012, the Giants played their first and only regular season AFL premiership game against West Coast Eagles in front of a crowd of 6,875 at Blacktown International Sportspark.

In April 2013, an $11.6 million redevelopment of a former golf driving range into a new AFL training ground and multicultural community education centre commenced, signalling the relocation of GWS to the suburb of Sydney Olympic Park.

[31] Greater Western Sydney were provided with similar recruitment entitlements to the Gold Coast who had entered the AFL the year before the Giants.

Former Melbourne Captain James McDonald, Brisbane veteran Luke Power and Port Adelaide ruckman Dean Brogan and midfielder Chad Cornes came out of retirement to play for the Giants in 2012.

The Giants were to have numerous big losses, including five by over 100 points, beating the previous record of four set by Fitzroy in their final season, the Brisbane Bears in 1991, St Kilda in 1985 and Footscray in 1982.

The win was marred by an incident involving Steve Johnson, in which he collided with Swan Josh Kennedy and was subsequently suspended for one match; this meant he missed the preliminary final.

In a close affair, both physically and on the scoreboard, the Bulldogs were attempting to make their first Grand Final in 55 years, while the Giants were looking to capitalise on their recent strong form.

[61][62] They recovered brilliantly with nine wins in their next ten matches[63][64] before losses to Sydney and Melbourne in the final two rounds of the regular season prevented them from finishing in the top four for a third consecutive year.

[71] Greater Western Sydney qualified for their fourth consecutive finals series in 2019, finishing sixth on the AFL ladder with 13 wins and nine losses.

They suffered a major setback early in the year when co-captain Callan Ward was struck down with an ACL injury during the club's round four victory over Geelong and was subsequently sidelined for the rest of the season.

The Giants emphatically turned the tables on the Bulldogs – who had humiliated them on their own home ground just three weeks prior – in the second elimination final to the tune of 58 points.

[84] Injuries plagued the Giants at the start of the season, with high-profile recruits Jesse Hogan[85] and Braydon Preuss,[86] along with star defender Lachie Whitfield,[87] injuring themselves during the preseason.

Senior players Matt de Boer, Phil Davis, and captain Stephen Coniglio were also all injured during the Giants round 3 game against Melbourne.

[89] Due to a major COVID outbreak in New South Wales, GWS, as well as their crosstown rival Sydney, spent the final two months of the home-and-away season away from the state.

The Giants were able to navigate this period well and booked a fifth finals appearance in six seasons, finishing seventh on the AFL ladder with 11 wins, 10 losses and a draw.

The Giants popular long-time coach Leon Cameron stood down after 9 years with the club ahead of their round 9 clash against Carlton following a slow start of 2 wins and 6 losses.

Greater Western Sydney's fairytale campaign would end in heartbreak after losing to eventual premiers Collingwood by one point in the prelim.

Jesse Hogan would finish the 2024 season with 77 goals, one more than Jeremy Cameron (76) in 2019, setting a club record for Greater Western Sydney.

[94] The team colours are orange, charcoal and white, with the club unveiling two prospective home jumpers for fans to be decided on for the inaugural 2012 season.

In 2017, GWS star Toby Greene kicked Bulldogs player Luke Dahlhaus in the face while contesting a bouncing ball, starting an all-in brawl.

A similar event would occur in week 3 of the 2020 home-and-away season, where the two teams engaged in constant melees throughout a match that the Giants lost by 25 points.

The main oval is named in honour of Australian football pioneer Tom Wills, who was born in New South Wales and has family connections to Western Sydney.

[121][122] Played: 298 Won 138 Drawn: 4 Lost: 156 (Last updated – Round 23 2024) [124] The inaugural co-captains of the club were Phil Davis, Luke Power and Callan Ward.