Building the Giants for the 2012 AFL season was a daunting assignment, with Aussie rules footy about as well known in Western Sydney as competitive tiddlywinks. Those tasked with building the club fought tooth and nail to capitalise on the concessions and advantages handed to them by AFL HQ.

In this eighth episode of AFL Team Builders, inaugural leaders Dale Holmes (CEO), Phil Davis (player) and Stephen Silvagni (list manager) talk through the difficulties of trying to build a footy club in a hostile environment, the recruitment of Israel Folau, the importance of the Breakfast Point set-up and more.

It’s easy to forget that Gold Coast’s formation pretty much happened by accident, but that is what took place when North Melbourne decided to stay in Victoria instead of moving to Queensland. From there, building a standalone team on the Gold Coast was too good an opportunity to pass up.

In this seventh episode of AFL Team Builders, inaugural chairman, John Witheriff, first official employee, Andrew Thomas, and two inaugural squad members - Nathan Bock and Charlie Dixon - detail the challenges Gold Coast faced in its formative years, including woeful facilities, a skeptical local community, a difficult relationship with the AFL, and even the threat of snakes at the club.

Thanks to BackChat for some of the audio used in this episode.

Already despised by their SANFL rivals, the Port Adelaide Magpies tried and failed to sneakily enter the AFL in 1991 before 'being put back in their box'. Ironically, it was Port Adelaide’s desperation to join the AFL that fast-tracked the formation of the Adelaide Crows, but it also showcased the club's bold and ruthless mentality.

In this sixth episode of AFL Team Builders, inaugural leaders Brian Cunningham (CEO), Greg Boulton (president) and Stephen Paxman (player) go through the highs, lows and controversies as Port Adelaide went about launching a standalone AFL team, built upon the foundations of 150 years of SANFL dominance.

Emerging in a splash of purple, red, green, and white - from an area steeped in football history - the Dockers entered the league in 1995 as WA’s second club. With West Coast’s shadow looming large, and list-build challenges that still hurt today, Fremantle was determined to push the boundaries and beat to their own drum.

In this fifth episode of AFL Team Builders, inaugural leaders David Hatt (CEO), Gerard Neesham (coach) and Ross Kelly (chairman) take you inside the formation of the Dockers.

Considering the intensity of the Adelaide-Port Adelaide rivalry, it’s incredibly ironic that the Crows’ entry to the AFL in 1991 came after a bull-headed own-goal from the Power. Yet that's exactly what happened as South Australian football was plunged into chaos when the AFL looked to expand into the state.

In this fourth episode of AFL Team Builders, inaugural Adelaide leaders Graham Cornes (coach), Bill Sanders (General Manager and CEO) and Mark Bickley (player) detail all the controversy and drama as the Crows took flight.

Alongside the Brisbane Bears, West Coast was the face of the VFL's bold expansion into non-Victorian territory. Initially, they were feared and despised by both sides of the country, and while it didn't take long for the Eagles to be an on -and off- field powerhouse, the early days were filled with challenges and controversies.

In this third episode of AFL Team Builders, inaugural figureheads John Walker (CEO), Ron Alexander (coach) and Ross Glendinning (captain) detail just how difficult the early days were for the ground-breaking Eagles.

It was late 1986 when the VFL decided to launch a privately-owned expansion club in Queensland - things surely would have been easier if they tried to set up a club on Mars instead. Bankrolled by controversial entrepreneur (and later fugitive) Christopher Skase, the Bears had five months to build a club in an environment that was anything but stable.

In the second episode of AFL Team Builders, inaugural coach Peter Knights, General Manager of Footy Shane O'Sullivan, board member Peter Williams and player Bernie Harris take you inside the ups and downs of the creation of the first V/AFL team in Queensland.

In the early 1980s, the Australian rules landscape changed forever when South Melbourne announced plans to relocate to Sydney. It was the then-VFL's first steps towards a national competition but a move that nearly ripped apart one of the league's foundation clubs.

In the first episode of AFL Team Builders, inaugural coach Ricky Quade, player Dennis Carrol and administrator Dean Moore take you inside the ups and downs of South's trailblazing move to Sydney.

WATCH: https://youtu.be/L9CtZU7Dipw