Derry’s Callum Brown sends out ominous warning to GWS rivals ahead of new AFL season

Three weeks out from the start of the 2024 AFL season, Derry’s Callum Brown has issued an ominous warning to the Greater Western Sydney Giants rivals: “We can win every game this season.”

The Limavady speedster was in the form of his life for GWS last season when he was elevated to the club’s senior list for the first time and became a potent attacking weapon after being switched from defence into the forward line.

Luton-born Brown (23) used his blistering pace and athleticism to earn the moniker ‘Downtown Brown’ from respected Australian television commentator Dwayne Russell who was impressed by the youngster’s ability to kick stunning long-range goals.

The security of a new two-year contract which he penned last year has also given Brown the impetus to focus on his dream of winning an AFL Premiership before setting his sights on a return to the GAA to chase an All-Ireland title with Derry as a long-term ambition.

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“We’ve had the biggest pre-season that we’ve ever had since I joined GWS in 2018, and we feel like we could win every game this year,” Brown told the Irish News.

“The whole playing squad has gone to another level.

“We’ve all put the work in, and there is a real excitement around the club.

“Every single player is on top form, standards have been raised in the off-season, and there is intense competition for places.

“The most important aspect is that we don’t have to reply on the senior boys to win us games every time.

“The youngsters have really stepped up, everyone knows their roles, and we know we can beat any opposition.”

Brown endured preliminary final heartache last year when GWS, against all expectations, reached a preliminary final, when they lost by just a solitary point to the 2023 premiers Collingwood, in the Magpies Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) backyard.

The Giants’ only Grand Final appearance since their formation as an expansion side fourteen years ago was in 2019 when they were outclassed by the Richmond Tigers.

Brown believes the Giants 2024 vintage have learned the painful lessons of preliminary final defeat last year and are unfazed by the expectations that will inevitably fall on their shoulders after last year’s heroics.

“We haven’t really talked about the expectations on us this year, it’s more about our own expectations,” Brown explained.

“Everyone is up for the new season, we’ve got healthy squads, and the forward line is looking really good.

“The preliminary final could have gone either way.

“It was a very close game, we lost 58-57, but we should have won.

“We struggled in the first half of the season because we were adapting to a new game style under our first-year coach Adam Kingsley, but in the second half of the season, we became more comfortable with the game plan, and we started winning and never looked back.”

Brown booted 19 goals in as many games for GWS last year using his trademark pace and power to devastating effect, but in the off-season, he has worked on a more nuanced approach under the tutelage of his coaches who have worked on his game management and game awareness skills.

“I definitely need to kick a few more goals, but what I have been working on is learning that I don’t always need to rely on my athleticism,” Brown said.

“It’s just about me learning my craft and having that game sense or game awareness to know when to take a mark, when to handpass or kick it long, and when to turn and burn using my pace.”

Brown is being groomed to take over from Giants skipper and 2023 All-Australian (team of the year) captain Toby Greene who was given licence to roam in the GWS forward line to create opportunities for teammates and kick goals in tight spaces inside the Giants forward 50m arc.

“My coaches see me as someone who could take over from Toby to go forward and do my own thing so that I become a creator as well as a finisher,” Brown said.

“I judge myself harshly, I am a perfectionist, because I want the team to win every game and don’t want to let my teammates or myself down.

“I don’t really think about myself, it’s more about how I can help the team and I will do whatever it takes to help us win.”