THERE are several players who are emblematic of the Giants' rise from a team in limbo at the midway point of the season to one fancied by many to reach a preliminary final with victory over Port Adelaide on Saturday night

Newly re-signed ruckman Kieren Briggs has been one of the best big men in the competition this season but was playing in the VFL until round 10.

Connor Idun wasn't garnering much attention until his barnstorming defensive performance in the round 11 win away to Geelong and hasn't missed a beat since.

Demons discard Toby Bedford was battling to solidify his place in the side to the halfway mark and is now arguably the best pressure forward in the competition.

And then there's Jake Riccardi.

To round 10, he'd spent as much time in the reserves as the seniors and had two goals to his name from five games.

From round 11 onwards, he's kicked 31 goals in 14 matches, including three in last Saturday's elimination final triumph over the Saints.

It's a fair batting order, but there are few who represent the Giants' transformation from being doubted to dominant better than their 23-year-old key forward.

"To look back and think that I've kicked three in a final, I almost can't believe it in a way. If you had told me that while I was playing in the twos at the start of the year, I would have thought you were just absolutely kidding yourself," Riccardi told AFL.com.au.

"I guess my first four weeks of the year weren't great. 'Kingers' (coach Adam Kingsley) took me aside and said, 'Mate, we need you to dial it up in this area to compete, really try go for marks.'

"I made sure I worked on that when I went back down to the VFL. I learned my lesson and I guess that's held me in good stead until now, just making sure I'm competing and playing on the edge every week."

If Riccardi's own form issues early in the season weren't enough, his problem was compounded by the arrival of the No.1 draft pick in Aaron Cadman, and the media and fan fascination with seeing the young gun in the flesh.

But when you've battled through a couple of missed drafts and had to wait until pick 51 in 2019 to eventually get picked up, it's likely that some patience and perspective has been accrued.

And that came in handy for Riccardi amid the outside noise around Cadman and the challenge for his spot in the team that was on shaky ground.

"'Cads' was playing some good footy in the twos and I wasn't going great, so when it happened, I was like, 'It's probably fair,'" he said.

"He deserved his chance, the only frustration was with how I was going. You've got to look at yourself and be like, 'What can I do, and what can I do better', which is the mindset that I've always had on my footy. I reckon it's definitely helped me in stages.

"It's the way that my footy journey's been, I'm not the guy that was always picked, I've always been in and out.

"Maybe other guys when they get dropped, and they've always not really been in that position, it might hurt a bit more, for me it just feels like something that I've always dealt with. I just take it as another little step in the journey.

"In addition to that, 'Cads' will be an unbelievable player for us, and I can't wait for the years to come when we're both up and going.".

That mentality has helped Riccardi persevere, and now prosper.

He'll step onto Adelaide Oval for a semi-final against Port Adelaide in the best form stretch of his career and with a freshly inked three-year contract in his back pocket.

In Riccardi's footy ride, that security has been something of a rarity.

"I think it's something that's underrated when you're not sure where you sit. At the start of the year, I didn't have a contract," he said.

"To actually get that and look back on it, I realised that's really important for me, and not just me, my family and my partner. It's really exciting."

The new deal is a show of faith from the Giants that Riccardi can be a focal point of the attack in their renewed quest for an inaugural premiership.

At the start of the campaign however, the forward-line make-up was somewhat of a mystery.

The pillars in Toby Greene and Jesse Hogan were there but everything else around them was very much a work in progress.

In a short space of time a vibrant, punishing, small forward fleet has emerged while Riccardi has nailed down the spot as Hogan's right-hand man.

"From day one, you just knew he (Jesse Hogan) had a really good footy brain. And that's something a lot of guys have leant on and learned from him," Riccardi said.

"He's a bit of a general for all of us and it's a combination that I always forecast when I was in my early years. I thought I'd love to one day play with 'Hoges' because we obviously have different strengths and weaknesses and we can really complement each other. He's been instrumental for me.

"And the smaller forwards, they're all little pocket rockets, they just create an absolute buzz. I would hate to be a defender playing against them, because you always know that one of them is coming.

"There's a bit of chaos in our forward line, which is great and then obviously you've got the superstar in Tobes (Toby Greene) as well, and we don't have to go on too much about him."

That lethal blend in attack to cap off a superbly balanced side in behind them has been a critical aspect of the Giants' remarkable run in the second half of the season all the way through to tonight's semi-final.

The belief has blossomed in individuals like Riccardi and the collective and that only grew with that MCG victory in September over the Saints.

"Before the Saints win, we were all confident in our ability and that our brand will stand up, but just getting a win in a final, that obviously adds that extra element.

"For us, going to Port this week, we'll just be like, 'All right, we'll go again and just see where it takes us'."