Finn Callaghan’s decision to knock back a fortune and back himself – and the AFL’s youngest and smallest club – was secured after coach Adam Kingsley delivered the 21-year-old a detailed picture of the club’s efforts over the off-season to complete the final piece of the premiership puzzle.

It was all about leadership. And decision-making in key moments. Kingsley and his team had already picked up some worrying signs before the Giants’ disastrous straight-sets finals exit last year and decided to invest some hard-fought soft cap gains into shifting the on-field mindset of their leadership group.

Callaghan, from Melbourne’s bayside suburbs, never received a written offer from St Kilda nor did he ever meet Ross Lyon, but $18 million over 10 years was the number and a million-dollar home loan on favourable terms was on the table. Although nothing was formalised, the proposed home loan would most likely have fallen into the additional services agreement category.

Callaghan signed with GWS on the eve of the season for $4.5 million over four years, which takes him to the eve of the 2030 season when he becomes a free agent.

That gives Kingsley and his club five years to build a side around Callaghan – who delivered a best-on-ground performance in the Giants’ opening round match against Collingwood – and teammates Tom Green, Connor Idun and recently promoted leader Jack Buckley.

The Giants’ presentation to Callaghan on the eve of the season was not about money but the program they had introduced over the late spring and summer of 2024-25, which Callaghan wasn’t involved in because he is not yet in the GWS leadership group. For the first time in football boss Jason McCartney’s time, the Giants employed an outsider – a leadership coach who had worked with McCartney in the past but was not well known in football circles.

Toby Greene, Stephen Coniglio, Josh Kelly, Sam Taylor, Brent Daniels, Idun, Green and Buckley regularly worked together in pairs, in scenario-based sessions, attended forums and challenged each other over the summer. Kingsley was determined to eradicate the terrible lapses in games that culminated in the horror capitulation to Brisbane in the 2024 semi-final.

Kingsley made no secret of his views on the Giants’ leadership in late 2022 when he was being interviewed for the job. Having witnessed the Richmond compromise captaincy choice of Dylan Grimes and Toby Nankervis in his final year at Punt Road, he told the Giants that his preference would be for one captain at GWS rather than the then three.