Chris Wilkie admits Geelong West would not be around to celebrate its 100th anniversary if not for the joint venture it entered into with the GFNL club Geelong West-St Peter’s in 2016.
The Giants president, who has been with the club for 30 years, save for a couple of seasons at Corio in the 2000s, recalled the then Cheetahs struggles ahead of Saturday’s milestone match against the Belmont Lions.
“If this (joint venture) didn’t come in, or this didn’t come to a head, or come to a vote to the players, we probably would not be here celebrating 100 years, we would not have made it,” Wilkie told K rock Football’s Beyond the Boundary podcast.
“We would have, unfortunately, probably closed the doors. Not due to financials… we could not sell anything to anyone.
“Everyone knows Bakers Oval’s got a lot of tradition. You know, (if) those walls could talk, you would be here for bloody years and years and years.
“But, when you are trying to recruit, and you are not winning, and you are trying to sell something, it is a pretty hard gig to try and get people over the line.”
Wilkie says the first decade of the alliance with the GFNL Giants has not always been smooth sailing.
However, he believes it is continuing to evolve.
“We’re really strict on what’s going to make the club better,” Wilkie said. “I think we turned the corner, probably about six or twelve months ago.
“With the juniors that are coming through now – and I really harp on about our juniors, or the juniors from the club coming through the GDFL, they are getting games into them, they are performing really well.
“It’s going to take time, and being around that block before, from 2016 to now, I understand. It is not going to happen overnight, but it will happen, and I’m confident it will happen.
“I’m confident these kids are going to flourish, nurture, improve, and then move forward and hopefully bring us back up to where we should be.
“And then with those kids coming through, hopefully the next lot of kids are seeing that as well.
“This is our third year with two under-18 teams, and we have got a ‘Thirds’ team which is nearly full of under-18 kids.
“We have got kids there; we have just got to put time and effort into them.”
West will wear a heritage jumper based on a design worn by Geelong West Cricket & Football Club teams during the first half of its existence.
“This one’s more of a tribute back to the (19)30s, 40s, 50s and 60s,” Wilkie said.
The Giants (12th, 0-10), who were well beaten by the unbeaten Werribee Centrals last week, will be boosted by the return of Justin Carey, Daniel Craven, Brayden Mitchell and Riley Seresi-Unsworth for the meeting with the Lions.
They replace Dylan Kollegger (injured), Rilley Ford, Jack Logan, and Alex Papas.
The match will double as former coach Scott Frangos’ 300th and final appearance for the club at junior and senior level across Geelong West-St Peter’s, Geelong West GFNL and the GDFNL Giants.
The Lions welcome back Sean Hogan, Braeden Eddy and Steve Gunther, who replace Lachie Slorach, Jake Steel, and Jake Butler.
Winchelsea (3rd, 7-3) will field close to its strongest team of the season for its blockbuster 150th anniversary clash with reigning premier North Geelong (2nd, 7-3).
The Blues, who are understood to be wearing a heritage guernsey for the clash, welcome back Caleb Brown at the expense of Bailey Mumberson.
The Magpies have made four forced changes to the team that overcame Anakie last week.
Jacsen Jewell is suspended until Round 14, Damien Fazio and Charlie Smith are injured, and Jack Cambridge is unavailable.
Luke Schwennesen, Sof Florio and B.J O’Toole have earned recalls from the reserves. Mick Govus will play his first senior match for the club since 2019 after stints at Bell Post Hill and former Golden Rivers league club Macorna.
Werribee Centrals (1st, 10-0) big man Paddy Daley will make his first appearance of the season after overcoming an ankle issue as the Centurions look to extend their winning streak to 11 against Anakie (9th, 3-7) at AA Semi-Trailers Oval.
He is one of four inclusions, which include debutant Jayden Lane, who has spent the past four years since crossing from former Western league club Glen Orden in the reserves.
Former Lara player Jake Marshall is back after making his debut a fortnight ago, and Ethan Gibson will play his first match of the season at senior level.
Out of the team that hammered the Giants last week are Kai Gomes Pattiyage (arm), Darcy Phillips (soreness), Max Murdock (unavailable), and Damian Williams.
The Roos, who have re-signed coach Jayke Mawson for the 2027 season, have made five changes.
Nathan McDonald suffered a lacerated kidney in the loss to North Geelong. At the same time, Sam McLachlan (ankle), Lewis Fitzgerald (hamstring), and Alex Gear (neck) are also sidelined, with Riley Van Dyke omitted.
Junior product Isaac Durran will make his debut for the Roos, with Jayden Davey released by St Kilda’s VFL team for his second Anakie appearance of the season.
Paul Ridout, Jordan Wilkinson, and Mark Pope have also been named.
Star Casey Meehan will play his first senior match of the season as Inverleigh (8th, 5-5) looks to carry the high of last week’s win over Bell Post Hill into a crucial clash with East Geelong (5th, 6-4).
The Hawks also welcome back Billy McIntosh, but will be without former coach Adam Donohue, who is unavailable.
The Eagles get back big man Matt Kasparian, have recalled Ross Symonds from the reserves, while Jack Doyle will make his first senior appearance since Round 17 last year.
Hayden Burns and David Waldron return for Corio (11th, 1-9), which faces Bell Post Hill (7th, 6-4) at All In One Services Oval.
They replace the unavailable Blake Natoli-West and the injured Max Roberts.
The Panthers have made five changes.
Dyl Witney and Caleb Bacely are being managed, while Renn Lovitt, Josh Norman and Tom Bryan are unavailable.
They have been replaced by Cody Chircop, who returns from a minor hip injury, Liam Meyrich, Ethan Coffey, Hayden Baker, and Jordan Flaccavento.
Star forward Henry Hawks is among three inclusions for Bannockburn (6th, 6-4) ahead of a must-win clash with the struggling Thomson (10th, 2-8) at Godfrey Street.
The Country Tigers also welcome back Bell Park recruit Jackson Gorman and Surfers Paradise recruit Jayme Rekers for his second game.
Ryan Perkins is unavailable, while Rory and Brodie Harding have been omitted.
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