It is a trait that captain Toby Greene says they must overcome if the Giants are to realise their potential and go from very good to great with an elusive premiership.
GWS will miss several players, including some of their stars, when they start their season on Sunday with a home game against Collingwood.
They are coming off unimpressive pre-season hitouts and their awful end to last season, when GWS blew decisive leads to crash out of the finals in straight sets.
Then came their Mad Monday debacle, which has made a handful of players unavailable for the start of the season because of AFL suspensions.
Despite all this - and a comment from commentator Garry Lyon that they need to "grow up" - the Giants are widely fancied in pre-season forecasts to win their first flag.
"It's a good thing, in a way, that people have faith in us, but we probably don't deserve to be favourites," Greene said on Saturday.
"We have teams like Brisbane and Collingwood that have got us in finals in the last few years, and the Swans as well.
"We know we have to be a lot better to beat those teams when it matters - that's all we can worry about.
"If people tip us, all well and good, but we know what we have to do."
He added that the past few days had been busy at GWS as they aim to step up and be ready for the Magpies.
"We haven't been great in the practice games, so we're keen to really get going and bring our best showing - looking forward to it," Greene said.
"It's pretty simple. It's a lot to do with mindset and pressure, playing the way we want to play.
"It can change pretty quickly, but we need to make it happen. We've put a lot of time and effort into that this week."
He said Darcy Jones will play after rolling his ankle at Friday training, while the skipper is rapt that highly rated Tasmanian James Leake will make his AFL debut.
Club video on Friday showed teammates mobbing Leake when the news was broken.
"He's such a hard worker and that's probably why everyone was so happy for him," Greene said.Â
"He put himself in a position, he's a really tough kid and he can play any position - it will be great to see him have a run tomorrow."
In their season opener a year ago, GWS also hosted Collingwood and Callum Brown kicked five goals in the win.
With forwards Jesse Hogan and Jake Stringer sidelined, the Giants will need another big game from Brown.
Last year's match was also only the fifth time that Engie Stadium has attracted a crowd of more than 21,000, and Greene hopes there can be an "orange tsunami" on the other side of the fence on Sunday.
"It's why we want to play footy. We want to play in front of big crowds, we want to grow the game in western Sydney," he said.
Hogan, the reigning Coleman Medallist, is sidelined after a freak accident where he jammed his thumb in a toilet door while travelling on the team bus.
He is out of action for three weeks with a bone fracture.
"I don't know that he was an idiot - just stiff," Greene said.
Sunday will also be the first time Collingwood recruit Harry Perryman plays against the Giants, his old club.
Greene, never short of a word on the field, is looking forward to crossing paths with his former teammate.
"I'm sure there will be a few words exchanged if the opportunity arises," he said.
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