Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to commend everyone involved with the fantastic new AFL team on the block, the Greater Western Sydney Giants. We had an amazing night last Saturday as the GWS Giants played their first ever match in the NAB Cup. Although the score line was not all that pretty, they played with determination and represented the people of Western Sydney with pride.

Some 10,000 supporters packed out the AFL’s new training facility at Blacktown Olympic Park for the historic event. Such was the level of support—it was a capacity crowd—that fans needed to be turned away at the gates. It was also pleasing to see the number of orange jerseys in the crowd, easily matching the well established fan base of the Sydney Swans. It was an honour for me to represent the Prime Minister at the game. I thank her for the opportunity to attend such an important evening for the sport in Western Sydney.

I praise the outstanding work done by Tony Shepherd, Dale Holmes and Kevin Sheedy and all the support staff involved with the Giants. Saturday night was the culmination of months of hard work and years of vision and foresight. I particularly acknowledge the passion and dedication of Kevin Sheedy. Kevin was recently asked if he was worried about the competition for athletes by the differing codes in Western Sydney. Kevin replied:

You know who is going to win? The 12-year-old kids. It’s about getting great opportunities for Australian kids. That’s the way I look at it. We win. The country feels proud. What is the backlash of giving an Australian kid a chance?