The two-time Giants' premiership winner in the HDFNL, was pleased with his side's opening performance.

"I think we had eight new and returning players on the weekend, so we didn't really know how we were all gonna play together and work out," Orval said.

"But the way our structures and stuff went on the weekend was really well."

"We didn't have any problems forward, midfield or back so we were pretty lucky in that regard, so I think we're working out things very well, very quickly, which is a good sign."

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Orval returned to the club for his first game since the 2018 grand final when the Giants went down narrowly to the Horsham Demons.

In 2019 he played for Charlton in the North Central Football League and in 2020 he had stints with South Cairns in the AFL Cairns competition and Waratah in the Northern Territory Football League.

Orval's time in Cairns was a brief but eventful one.

"I flew up to Darwin and then I flew across (to Cairns) from there and I played a game at south Cairns Cutters," Orval said.

"I was going to play the rest of their season and then I left it a bit late.

"I had to play the last three games to qualify and so the second game my plane got delayed, so I was supposed to fly in at 12:00 and it got delayed until 2:30 and then I think I was an hour from the airport so I wasn't going to get there until half-past five.

"They still wanted me to come over and qualify but I didn't really want to do that to a local bloke that's probably played the whole year."

From there Orval was able to make round one of the NTFL season, but only managed to play a few games because he got "riddled with injuries".

As evidenced by his performance on the weekend, Orval is fit and firing now and is looking forward to the challenge of playing reigning-premiers Minyip-Murtoa this weekend.

"I think we do end up playing them twice, which will be a good chance for us and them to see where we're at because I definitely think they'll be the strongest side this year," he said.

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"I'm sure it'll show how well we are really gonna gel together, but yeah we've still got a lot of blokes that have played footy together so I'm really looking forward to that hit-out.

"It'll be a really good standard of footy, you always want to play those better sides."

Orval said it was the lure of a premiership among other things, that made him return to the Giants.

"It's my home club and that's where I grew up playing footy and all my mates play there, so yeah it's always good to come back to the Giants," he said.

"(There'll be) a lot less travel as well and while we've still got a very good side, a lot of blokes are still willing to come back.

"To get a premiership in the Wimmera league is really what we're looking for I think, while we've got a really good crack at it.

"That's why I sort of came back as well, I think a few people after losing two of those flags, there's a lot of hunger and I think this year is a very good opportunity to try and get it."

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