This was the season when the boys of GWS became men of the AFL, and that theme continued on Friday night with small forward Toby Greene taking home the Kevin Sheedy medal as the club's best and fairest player.
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It capped a remarkable year for the 23-year-old who won All Australian selection for the first time as the Giants surged into a maiden finals campaign before losing by a solitary goal to the Western Bulldogs at the second-last hurdle.
Greene booted 44 goals this year, and ranked equal second in the league for goal assists. He was also third in the AFL for inside 50s, and averaged 21.3 possessions per game.
He needs just two more games to reach 100 with GWS, which would make him the first of the youngsters drafted to the club at the end of 2011 to register a century of appearances in a Giants' jumper.
His Kevin Sheedy Medal triumph is significant and marks a strong period of maturation at the club. The last two best and fairest medals went to experienced recruits Heath Shaw (2015) and Shane Mumford (2014).
Greene only hit the lead in round 23, and polled strongly in the Giants' two finals to finish narrowly clear of Tom Scully, and Stephen Coniglio. Josh Kelly and Shaw rounded out the top five.
"Toby has had an outstanding season and this honour is very well-deserved," Giants coach Leon Cameron said.
"We challenged Toby with a new role early in the season and he exceeded all expectations and took his game to a new level.
"I'm proud to watch the growth of Toby as both a footballer and a person and this is an outstanding achievement at such a young age."
Friday night's end-of-season presentation drew the curtain on a bittersweet year for GWS.
The excitement of finishing in the top eight for the first time evaporated with a nail-biting preliminary final loss to the eventual premiers, a result which moved several players to tears in the dressing rooms after the game.
"The 2016 season is one we can all be hugely proud of and one that was characterised by unprecedented growth for our young club," CEO Dave Matthews said.
"In many ways this year has given us a taste for more success. And let me be very clear – at the Giants we make no apologies for wanting to be successful.
"There is no doubt that this year will cause us to revise our goals for next year, both on and off the field."
Classy midfielder Jacob Hopper won the rising star award while Coniglio was voted as the fans' most valuable player.
The coaches award went to Kelly and Mumford won the defensive award.
Kevin Sheedy Medal final leaderboard
1 Toby Greene (151 votes)
2 Tom Scully (148 votes)
3 Stephen Coniglio (146 votes)
4 Josh Kelly (144 votes)
5 Heath Shaw (141 votes)
6 Dylan Shiel (137 votes)
7 Zac Williams (129 votes)
8 Shane Mumford (123 votes)
8 Callan Ward (123 votes)
10 Steve Johnson (117 votes)
