IF GREATER Western Sydney defeats Richmond in the AFL Grand Final on Saturday, it will have won its first premiership in less than half the League average time.

Since the competition started in 1897, 16 clubs have won flags, with the average time span between joining the League and claiming their first piece of silverware being 19 years.

If successful on Saturday, the Giants will have saluted in just their eighth season, equalling the effort of Port Adelaide in 2004 under Mark Williams, later an inaugural member of the Giants' coaching staff.

In that case, GWS and Port would sit in equal-seventh place among the fastest premiers.

The top four clubs on the list – Essendon (one year), Fitzroy (two), Melbourne (four) and Collingwood (six) – benefited from being foundation clubs, winning their ice-breaking flags in the League's first six years.

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The GWS team for the Grand Final could include as many as six players who represented the Giants in their first game back in the opening round of 2012, when they suffered a 63-point loss to now strong rival Sydney at ANZ Stadium.

The survivors from that game are co-captain Phil Davis, spearhead Jeremy Cameron, the brilliant Toby Greene and defenders Adam Kennedy and Adam Tomlinson, with gun midfielder Stephen Coniglio remaining an outside chance.

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YEARS BEFORE FIRST PREMIERSHIP

* No Grand Final was played in 1897. The premier (Essendon) and runner-up (Geelong) were decided after a round-robin finals series.

• Fremantle, Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney are yet to win premierships.