A loss to Melbourne in round one was just the wake up call the GWS Giants needed to kickstart their so-far incredibly successful season, Jack Steele believes.
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The Canberra midfielder said the team went into that first game at the MCG "expecting to win" and were shocked into gear by the resulting two-point loss.
Steele was dropped for two games after that but the second-year player has averaged over 18 disposals and a goal per game since in the Giants' rise to fifth on the AFL ladder.
"We did everything right in the pre-season, we just expected to win that game, so I guess it was a wake-up call for us. It definitely helped us [go on to] beat teams like Geelong and Hawthorn which have been successful teams for a decade," Steele said.
Having won their last four in a row, Steele said there was a "great feeling" around the club as it chased a top-four finish.
"Obviously to make finals is the first thing, but as soon as we make finals we're not going to stop," he said.
"I think we're all on the same page [now], the last couple of years [GWS] was known for being a team of individuals, I think we're all starting to gel a bit better.
"With a bit more experience in the team, like Heath Shaw, Ryan Griffen and especially Steve Johnson in the forward line, they've all helped the team gel a bit and get everyone on the same page."
The attacking midfielder credits the arrival of veteran Johnson from Geelong for his own upsurge in goalkicking this year.
"For when I go forward I've been working with Stevie a bit, he's been teaching me some things to keep in mind when I'm playing forward, so he's real handy," Steele said.
"Last year I think I only kicked one [goal] out of seven games and I think I've kicked five out of five games this year, so I've stepped it up a little bit."
Steele, who joined the Giants in 2014 from the Belconnen Magpies via the GWS Academy, is off-contract at the end of the season and still in negotiation for next year.
"Obviously it's my home club, being from Canberra, and I'd love to stay at the Giants my whole career, so [we're] just trying to work it out now," he said.
On the field, the Giants face the struggling Gold Coast Suns in Sydney on Saturday. The early mistake of complacency is one Steele and the rest of the side won't be repeating.
"They had a good start to the season, they've sort of dropped off a bit, but we're not taking them for granted. They're a pretty fast-paced side and can take the game by storm," Steele said.
"We're not going to be complacent, [we'll] just play the game we've played the last four or five weeks and hopefully knock them off."
