They were burned out in last year's finals race and already have fresh injury problems to contend with, but count out Greater Western Sydney at your peril.
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It took some time for the new-look Giants to fire but they rammed home the advantage late in a 14.12 (96) to 5.6 (36) win over the Collingwood Magpies at Manuka Oval on Thursday night.
The 6642 fans in Canberra were treated to a lacklustre start, but it was only going to go one way when All-Australian star Dylan Shiel started to fire.
The Giants ran riot in the third term and issued the competition with a reminder that they will be in the hunt come September.
The Magpies, on the other hand, have plenty of work to do if they want to snap a five-year finals drought.
Stand-in Giants coach Mark McVeigh expects Shiel and other key on-ballers to spend plenty of time up forward this season as GWS search for a maiden flag.
"We know [Shiel has] elite speed so when he gets forward he certainly gets split from the opposition," McVeigh said.
"When we look at what they can provide when they go forward and we have some success out of it, you've got to weigh it up. They're our main on-ballers, and we know for us to win games you've got to spend big time in there, but also when they rest where can we utilise them best?
"Dylan Shiel went forward, Callan Ward went back last week and did some good stuff for us. We've got some opportunities there."
Ryan Griffen was a late withdrawal for the Giants after pulling up with a sore left ankle following training - the same niggle that limited him to three games in 2017.
But the club has no major concerns about the injury, which is welcome news for head coach Leon Cameron with seven players sidelined with injury.
The engine room was almost full-strength with Shiel, Stephen Coniglio, Callan Ward, Josh Kelly and Tim Taranto on hand with just one game left until the season proper.
There was plenty to like from that group - Shiel was dominant, Taranto looks to have found another level and Coniglio eased into form.
The Giants felt the effects of losing dashing defender Nathan Wilson to Fremantle, with a lack of run off half-back showing early - but the silky Lachie Whitfield soon showed he is more than capable of filling the void.
The Magpies had their chances early but struggled to make them pay with a poor disposal efficiency cruelling their scoring opportunities.
Collingwood were missing a chunk of star power but managed to stay in the contest until half-time before the Giants kicked into gear.
Both sides have just one more game up their sleeves before the season begins - and the Giants have shown just enough to suggest they can live up to their billing as a title contender.
There are plenty of reasons for optimism – draftees Zac Langdon and Nick Shipley found plenty of the ball early while 20-year old Lachie Tiziani may have played himself into a senior debut.
"We flagged pre-game that it was a really big night for Zac Langdon, Daniel Lloyd and Tiziani," McVeigh said.
"Tiziani is a young player, a developing player, and really played well. But we also need to probably address that Collingwood didn't play their strongest side, it's early on in the year.
"We've got to weigh up when we come up against the Bulldogs in two or three weeks' time here in Canberra that we've got our best side out there. He's certainly in calculations."
Although for a moment it looked like none of it would happen as three Manuka Oval light towers failed to turn on in the opening term.
The Giants nearly had their second pre-season match cut short by lighting dramas, but they slowly flickered on as Collingwood's night went downhill.
The Magpies were ferocious in the opening term and finished with plenty of vigour – but that sandwiched a dissatisfying start to the year.
However the return of the likes of Adam Treloar, Jamie Elliott and Alex Fasolo cannot come quick enough.
With coach Nathan Buckley coming off a year in which his future was scrutinised to no end, a scoreless third quarter was not on the agenda.
"We've got a bit of work to do. There was a bit of posturing given we play them in a month," Buckley said.
"We definitely had a look at four or five things we've been practicing through pre-season, a couple of them went okay, a couple of them didn't. First quarter was okay, after quarter time not so good."
For the Giants it was a tale of two halves. For the Magpies, the tale we've heard before looks set to add another chapter.
AT A GLANCE
AFL pre-season game:
GWS GIANTS 2.2 4.3 10.8 14.12 (96)
COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES 1.3 2.4 2.4 5.6 (36)
GWS goals: D Lloyd 3, L Tiziani 2, J Cameron, D Shiel, T Taranto, J Patton, D Simpson, H Himmelberg 2, C Ward
Collingwood goals: T Phillips, B Reid, M Cox, W Hoskin-Elliott, S Pendlebury
GWS best: D Shiel, J Kelly, L Whitfield, S Coniglio, H Shaw
Collingwood best: T Adams, W Hoskin-Elliott, S Sidebottom, B Maynard, J Thomas
