Matthew Buntine Biography

Inaugural Giants Sam Reid and Matt Buntine have been delisted among four list changes for the club.

Academy graduate Nick Shipley and Tom Hutchesson were also not offered contracts for 2022.

Matt Buntine will play his first senior game in almost 14 months after recovering from a knee reconstruction.

Four games of impressive NEAFL form was enough to convince GWS coach Leon Cameron to play him, and Buntine said that the announcement sent the Giants' post-training meeting into mayhem.

"It was a really special moment," Buntine said.

"To share that moment with them and see their elation was really heartwarming.

"I had a few butterflies going into the meeting and was hoping my name may get thrown out there, so I couldn't wipe the smile off my face."

Matt Buntine signs a two-year deal with the Giants that will keep him at the club until the end of 2019.

Buntine has been ruled out for the rest of the 2017 season with a partially torn ACL but said it was an "easy decision" to recommit.

Matt Buntine is ruled out for the season due to an ACL tear that he may have been playing with for years.

Bunting walked off the training track with a slight niggle, but scans revealed he had a partially torn ACL, which was a pre-existing injury.

The 23-year-old will undergo a full conventional knee reconstruction next week.

"After feeling some discomfort at training on Wednesday, Matt underwent scans to initially investigate what was thought to be a meniscus injury, but these scans revealed a partially torn ACL that appears to be a pre-existing injury," Giants general manager of football Wayne Campbell said.

"This is obviously quite a rare set of circumstances, given there has been no cause to investigate any injury in relation to Matt's knee before this and it appears he's been playing with it for a number of years.

"This is obviously devastating news for Matt and we will now map out the best rehabilitation course for him to return to his best."

Callan Ward and key defender Phil Davis will co-captain GWS for a fifth-straight season, but Shane Mumford and Tom Scully have made way for four new additions to the group.

Reigning club champion Heath Shaw will again support Ward and Davis, who have shared the skipper's role since the Giants entered the competition in 2012.

Gun midfielders Stephen Coniglio, Dylan Shiel and Devon Smith, and defender Matt Buntine, all 22-year-old Giants' 'originals', have been given a spot on the leadership team for the first time.

"We've had young guys who have been doing leadership stuff for four years that they've been here and they're ready to step in," Ward said.

"We didn't want the group too large, and seven is the perfect number for us.

"We've got four fifth-year players who are terrific leaders, terrific men; that's what we're about at this football club, great men and great people so I think it's really good signs for us.

"They'll fill the shoes really well."

Matthew Buntine is crowned Cleo Bachelor of the Year.

The 22-year-old was named the winner on Wednesday night at Darlinghurst's ARQ with teammates Josh Kelly, Jack Steele, Adam Kennedy, Nick Haynes and James Stewart all in attendance.

Buntine was rewarded with a $5000 cheque and a trip for two to Vietnam.

"They straight away chucked water on the shirt that you were wearing so I was pretty quick to get that off," Buntine told SEN radio.

"I don't really have the greatest looking head so I thought the only way I'm going to win this is if I get the body out, so I just ran with that."

Two bouts of concussion that prematurely ended the best season of Matt Buntine's career helped put life into perspective for him.

"The second one was a bit of a shake up because it wasn't a sharp impact or a really big shot to the head, so I think that set an alarm off that you've really got to take care of the head," Buntine said.

"It really put football into a bit more perspective; it's not the be-all and end-all for me.

"I'm going to live with my brain a lot longer than I'm going to have a footy career, so I'm really comfortable now, especially the way we managed it; the club were great.

"I've had no residual effects since the end of last season so I'm really grateful and 100 per cent ready to go."

Matt Buntine re-signs with the Giants until the end of 2017.

Buntine was coming out of contract this season and has stepped up in an injury hit backline.

"I'm really happy here in Sydney and the club has been so good to me over the last four years," Buntine said.

"I've got really good friends up here, I can see us going a long way and I want to be part of the big future we are building.

"With so many of my good friends already re-committing to the Giants, it shows that everyone is buying into the culture and this is where I want to be."

Matthew Buntine will play his first game for the year against West Coast in round 9 after recovering from a punctured lung and two fractured ribs following collision while playing against Carlton in the NAB Cup.

"I can't remember too much about the pain. I just remember I couldn't even gasp for air. Or every time I'd inhale, I couldn't exhale, and vice versa," Buntine said of the incident.

"It was a scary moment and it wasn't the greatest feeling on a football field, that's for sure."

Buntine says he would like to model his game on Cat Corey Enright.

"I can pinch hit on a tall and can play on a medium-sized resting mid or even a small," he said.

"I aim to be pretty flexible and show some good drive and ball use.

"In terms of other players, Corey Enright's probably one that I'd love to emulate in the coming years. He can play on anyone and really plays his role in the team."

Matt Buntine will miss the next two months of football after suffering a punctured lung and a broken rib during the Giants' NAB Cup clash against Carlton.

"It is unfortunate for Matt, who has had a strong pre-season," GWS football manager Graeme Allan said.

"But we are confident he will make a full recovery and look forward to him returning to the team and playing a key role for the Giants."

Matthew Buntine makes his AFL debut for GWS at the Gabba with 7 disposals (2 kicks and 5 handballs) and a mark in a 92-point loss to Brisbane.