After a chaotic off-season that saw him change clubs, GWS star recruit Clayton Oliver has suffered a pre-season setback, after sustaining a calf injury on Monday.
Oliver was offloaded by Melbourne to the Giants for just a third round pick in last year's trade period, with the 28-year-old now eager to get back to his best at his new club.
But the superstar midfielder has had his 2026 preparations delayed by a couple of weeks, following the injury, coach Adam Kingsley confirmed on Wednesday.
"[Clayton] had a bit of a hiccup on Monday with a calf issue, so that's put him back maybe a week or two," Kingsley told the media.
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"Disappointing, but not a big deal. So we move on pretty quickly."
Despite the setback, Kingsley is pleased with how the three-time All-Australian has settled into the group, and is optimistic about what he can contribute in the upcoming year.
"He fitted in really well. We have a really welcoming group, and so he seems to have fitted in really well," he said.
"We've got plans for him. Cleary he's an outstanding stoppage player, so we feel like he's going to help that phase of our game.
"Then it's a matter of learning how we play and trying to become ingrained in that style as quickly as possible."
Kingsley also believes Oliver will fit in next to another star stoppage player of the competition, Tom Green.
"They're similar players in a phase of the game but... We can use them in different ways," he said.
"Whether that's in stoppage, whether that's in transition, I think they'll complement each other really well. Two outstanding stoppage players alongside the rest of our midfield I think makes us a harder team to play against."
The Giants' season gets under way in opening round when they host Hawthorn at ENGIE Stadium in a rematch of last year's elimination final.