After rejecting the biggest contract deal in AFL history, the Giants’ Finn Callaghan has spoken of his desire to stay in Sydney and win the club’s first premiership.
Callaghan signed a new four-year deal and said it was always his intention to stay at the club that drafted him with pick No.3 in 2021.
Nine.com.au originally reported that the Melbourne-raised footballer rejected a $17 million 10-year deal from St Kilda to stay in Sydney.
In recent times, Callaghan has established himself as one of the Giants’ leading talents.
“Ever since I first came to the Giants, the club has always looked after me, being brilliant support for not only myself but for my family as well,” Callaghan said.
“That was one of the main reasons, to give back, and I’m pretty thankful when they first drafted me. I just wanted to show that, I think signing the contract is the best way to do that … I think we’ve got a brilliant list.
“I think we’re right in the premiership window, and that’s something I really want to be a part of.”
Finn Callaghan of the Giants chases the ball during the AFL practice match between Sydney Swans and Greater Western Sydney Giants.Credit: Getty Images
After being asked about the lucrative offers from rival clubs, Callaghan said that he didn’t want to go into detail on the money offered out of respect for those clubs.
“I always wanted to stay at the club,” Callaghan said. “The offers, I won’t go into too much depth about it, to be fair to the clubs, but it just is what it is what it is.
“I feel like a lot of people in a similar situation have that, and it’s something you’ve just got to work through and think about.
“But speaking to our family, speaking to the people I’m closest to, we all thought it was best to stay here.”
After losing to eventual premiership winners Brisbane by five points in last year’s finals, the Giants had to deal with the fallout from an end-of-season party that went badly wrong.
In October, the AFL suspended six Greater Western Sydney players and fined seven others for their conduct at an end-of-season function.
Giants player Josh Fahey was suspended for four games after dressing up as former NRL player Jarryd Hayne and his teammate Jake Riccardi was suspended for two games after dressing up as a taxi driver.
Riccardi expressed regret for his behaviour at the function and his motivation to learn from his mistakes alongside his teammates.
“It was obviously very embarrassing at the time, and I’m disappointed in myself and I guess all of us were,” Riccardi said.
“There was a level of disappointment, and then from there, yeah, I guess it was in the pre-season so we didn’t really get a chance to all come together and speak about it too much, but I think we’ve as a group really taken it on board and used it as a chance to reflect and become better people out of it.”
