KEVIN Sheedy believes his Greater Western Sydney side will end the year showing significant improvement – even if it fails to win a single game.
The Giants have started their second year with six straight defeats, but the losing margins have been much less than during its debut season, when blowouts by 15 goals or more were commonplace.
GWS led table-toppers Essendon by 21 points at half-time on Saturday before succumbing by 39 points, a distinct improvement on an 11-goal defeat to the same side last season.
Just as before the year began, Sheedy's ambition remains to win more games than the two the club managed in 2012, and he believes a big scalp may not be too far away.
But even a winless campaign wouldn't be a disaster, according to the four-time premiership coach.
"It depends on how you look at football," he said on Monday prior to the club's first session at its new training complex at Sydney Olympic Park.
"If I said to you we played 22 games and lost eight games by a kick and didn't win a game, I'd say yes (we had improved).
"It depends on how you want to measure improvement. Is improvement by losses and wins? Most people say yes.
"But is improvement by sustained effort, but unfortunately you won less games?
"I think by the second half of the year we'll have a pretty good footy team.
"You can see now we're lasting longer in games and I think our performances have been better than not winning a game yet."
The Giants contest their first match of the season at their Skoda Stadium home this week, when Adelaide comes to town.
The club is thrilled with its plush new 25,000-seat stadium, but Sheedy believes the Giants have done a poor job educating Sydneysiders about the location of the venue.
Sheedy has had people as close as Concord, a suburb just six kilometres from Homebush Bay, having no idea where the Giants are based.
"Our club needs a smarter plan," he conceded.
"When I'm told locally that people thought we were out further, (I tell them) 'no, we're 10 minutes up the road'.
"I'm only talking about people in Concord or within 10 minutes of this ground.
"That actually shocks me sometimes.
"I start thinking to myself we haven't got it right.
"There are people in Sydney and in the west that think we play at Blacktown.
"We really need to market Skoda Stadium here at Olympic Park a lot better than what we've done."
Sheedy has another reason why he believes fans must quickly familiarise themselves with the ground – in quick time you won't get a seat.
"You won't get into this ground in five years' time, I can tell you," he said.
"It will be locked out. Sold out.
"Get your tickets now and get your seats forever because when this team hits its peak, it will be sold out.
"In another two or three years when they're starting to win a lot of games, you'll know where Skoda Stadium is, I can tell you."
James Dampney is a reporter for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_JD
