GWS coach Leon Cameron insists the Giants must get better just to get back where they were last season, let alone justify their tag as AFL flag favourites.
The Giants' qualifying-final rout of arch-rivals Sydney and narrow preliminary final loss to eventual premiers the Western Bulldogs in 2016 suggested the premiership window was now wide open for the competition's youngest club.
Their stocks rose even higher when they acquired Richmond champion Brett Deledio, although his start in Giants colours will be delayed due to another calf problem.
Cameron is understandably hosing down high expectations of a club which has never before had to deal with that issue.
'We're a side that needs to continue to improve to even get back to where we were (last year) and that is the hardest challenge," Cameron told AAP..
"And that's why you admire the Hawthorns, the Geelongs, the Sydneys, they constantly rock up every year."
For a club which performed so well last year, GWS made a surprisingly large number of changes in the off-season, moving on 11 players including highly-rated youngsters Jack Steele and Caleb Marchbank.
In came four more top 20 draft picks, including No.2 Tim Taranto and No.5 Will Setterfield, both of whom look ready-made senior players.
Veteran reinforcements arrived in Deledio and, more surprisingly, ex-Fremantle pair Matt de Boer and Tendai Mzungu.
"The thing that probably enticed us to those sort of guys was their character, their ability to play roles for us," Cameron said.
"We know Deledio has been a very good player in his own right and he will play wing or forward of the footy and we feel as though we can get some really good footy out of him.
"Matthew and Tendai are just outstanding citizens that work extremely hard, and have got great habits and have come out of a really strong system at the Fremantle footy club."
Cameron appears to have bountiful options across each line.
Phil Davis, Nick Haynes and Adam Tomlinson can fill the key backline roles while Heath Shaw, Nathan Wilson and Zac Williams provide rebound out of defence.
The midfield mix includes hard nuts Callan Ward and Stephen Coniglio, with Dylan Shiel and Tom Scully supplying the outside run..
Josh Kelly looks ready to break into the very top level, Lachie Whitfield will add class when he returns from suspension and Jacob Hopper is a tough young scrapper.
"There will be a lot of mids that will rotate forward this year, probably more than we ever have," Cameron said.
The Giants have an intimidating mix of tall and small forwards, three of whom kicked over 40 goals last season.
Jeremy Cameron, Jon Patton and Rory Lobb will fill the key positions with the ageless Steve Johnson, Toby Green and Devon Smith all dangerous at ground level..
Lobb will back up senior ruckman Shane Mumford, with Dawson Simpson, Tom Downie and Matt Flynn also vying for time.
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