Women's Footy AFLW Season 2023 GWS - Congrats Zarlie Goldsworthy: Rising Star winner!

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No news on the start dates for the 2023 season, but here's a story on players to watch when it does start, and #1 is Giants' Georgia Garnett!

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1. Georgia Garnett (GWS)
Season seven was the one in which Garnett announced herself to the competition, but the 21-year-old can go to new heights in 2023 once the Giants get their senior injured players back on the park. Having started her career as a defender, Garnett requested a move to attack for the second half of 2022 and absolutely thrived, leading the AFLW for marks as she dominated across half-forward. An athletic prospect who moves very well, standing at 176cm, Garnett has all the tools to bust a game open. With greater support around her next season, including former All-Australian Izzy Huntington (ACL), "GG" is the player to watch.

Player to Watch: Georgia Garnett

Sarah Black has named Georgia Garnett as one to watch in 2023.

www.gwsgiants.com.au

 

[captainMyCaptain]

 

[captainMyCaptain]

Trade period about to start with Jess Allan looking to head back to Adelaide which is no surprise given she was only with us due to being based in ACT due to military commitments, and hasn't played for us for a couple of years so any pick for her is a decent outcome.

Greater Western Sydney ruck Jess Allan is tipped to head to Adelaide. But the Giants, as well as Hawthorn, are in the market for talented Brisbane forward Luka Yoshida-Martin.

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​

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY​

Delistings

Georgie Fowler

Casidhe Simmons

GREATER Western Sydney has delisted Georgie Fowler and Casidhe Simmons.

Forward Fowler, 18, made her debut last season, playing two games, but only added an additional match in season seven. She was drafted with pick No.59 in the 2021 NAB AFLW Draft from East Coast Eagles.

Simmons was selected with the very next pick from UNSW-ES Bulldogs. The 27-year-old former heptathlete played two games last season, but nose and concussion issues prevented her from adding to the tally in season seven.

"This is a hard time for these players, but we truly thank them for helping to build the Giants and wish them well for their next chapter," head of women's football Briana Harvey said.

 

[captainMyCaptain]

 

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In: Nil

Out: Jess Allan (traded to Adelaide)

Draft picks: 8, 26, 44, 52

Last season the Giants had a competition-high six players on the inactive list – Jess Allan, Bec Beeson, Fleur Davies, Isabel Huntington, Isadora McLeay and Casidhe Simmons – so this off-season was more about leveling the list back to a required 30 than it was about recruiting. Allan has returned to her original club of Adelaide via trade and a further four players departed via delisting or retirement.

 

[captainMyCaptain]

Will be greatly missed

 

[captainMyCaptain]

The draft is set for April 4th and at this stage will have 2 selections with the interesting thing with this draft is that players can choose to nominate for their home state or a national draft pool. Also with the NSW state draft swans have no selections so we will have our pick of the NSW draft if we go with that draft pool.

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[petits]

Maggie Gorham among the ~14 who have nominated for NSW. For those for who this only rings a distant bell (like me) she was our first pick in 2019 who then retired after one year (and no games). She's been playing locally in Canberra since then, hard to find much info.

 

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Maggie Gorham among the ~14 who have nominated for NSW. For those for who this only rings a distant bell (like me) she was our first pick in 2019 who then retired after one year (and no games). She's been playing locally in Canberra since then, hard to find much info.

Yes, I noticed her name there, fairly obvious given the fairly small NSW-specific group. A few years more mature, I wonder if we'll be keen.

 

[Giant Strides]

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The draft will be held on Tuesday, April 4.

Two AFLW seasons were played in one year in 2022, as the AFL wanted to move the starting time from January to August. It meant those who were drafted in June played straight away, with a large number of year 12s combining school and footy, instead of waiting until the following January to play AFLW. To make sure this doesn't happen again, this one-off draft is restricted to those who are born in 2004 or earlier (i.e. will turn 19 this year). This means that the upcoming draft features prospects from the same pool as the previous draft.

Those born in 2005 will wait for the draft ahead of the 2023 season.

Because of the limited pool, the AFL has not mandated that teams take a minimum of three spots to the draft, as has been the case in years prior.

Nominations:

316 National All States
11 International All States
133 Victoria only
23 WA only
19 SA only
13 Qld only
13 NSW only

Total 528

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Round 1
1 Geelong Cats
2 Port Adelaide
3 Fremantle
4 Hawthorn
5 Carlton
6 Gold Coast SUNS
7 Fremantle
8 GWS GIANTS
9 Carlton
10 Gold Coast SUNS
11 Western Bulldogs
12 Port Adelaide
13 Collingwood
14 Collingwood
15 Western Bulldogs
16 Port Adelaide
17 Brisbane Lions

Round 2
18 Fremantle
19 Hawthorn
20 Carlton
21 St Kilda
22 Fremantle
23 GWS GIANTS
24 Gold Coast SUNS
25 Western Bulldogs
26 North Melbourne
27 Richmond

Round 3
28 Carlton

Round 4
29 Adelaide Crows

2023 AFLW Overage Draft whispers

The 2023 AFLW Overage Draft will take place tomorrow night with a stack of mature-age prospects set to earn their chance at the elite level.

central.rookieme.com

GIANT calls?

GWS GIANTS head into the AFLW Overage Draft with two selections and have been strongly linked to two players with those picks. One is ex-Gold Coast Suns Academy utility Caitlin Miller who played as a tough forward for Queensland at last year’s AFLW Under 18 Championships. The other is Brianna McFarlane who despite moving down to Victoria, got special dispensation to nominate New South Wales. With Sydney not taking part in the Overage Draft, expect the GIANTS to take her with their second selection.

 

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8. Greater Western Sydney - Caitlin Miller (Southport WFC)



The key details:

Drafted from: Southport Sharks
State: Queensland
Height: 165cm
Position: Small Forward
Date of Birth: 21/7/2004

Bio:

A former member of the Gold Coast Suns Academy Miller is a utility with a forward flare. She kicked six goals in six games in the QAFLW last season, including two in Southport's Preliminary Final. Miller has ties with former Queenslander and GIANTS' ruck Fleur Davies, with the pair playing in the 2022 AFL National Championships together.

From the Recruitment team:

“We are very excited to add someone of Caitlin’s calibre to the GIANTS. Even though she can play across all three lines, we see Caitlin bringing her smarts, skill and craft to our forward line to add to our scoring power."

23. Greater Western Sydney - Annise Bradfield (Gold Coast Suns / Southport Sharks)



The key details:

Drafted from: Gold Coast Suns / Southport Sharks
State: Queensland
Height: 172cm
Position: Inside Midfield
Date of Birth: 9/12/2002

Bio:

Bradfield is no stranger to the AFLW environment, having been on the Gold Coast Suns list for the past three seasons. After suffering a knee injury early in her AFLW career, the 20-year-old went on to play five games with the Suns. A former Hockey player, Bradfield started playing the game at the age of 13.

From the Recruitment team:

“During the offseason we thought we needed to add to our midfield, in particularly adding more height and Annise certainly does that. Annise hasn’t had much luck during her time in the AFLW since being taken in the first round of the 2020 draft. We look forward to adding her size, toughness and competitiveness to our midfield.”

 

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Caitlin Miller (pick No.8)
Annise Bradfield (pick No.23)

A quiet trade and sign period for the Giants has been capped off with two draft selections. Caitlin Miller, a teenager from Southport, is a midsized forward that effectively takes the place of the delisted Georgina Fowler. Overlooked in last year's draft, Miller gets her shot this year with GWS.

And another player from the Queensland coast, former Sun Annise Bradfield will fit right in as Cam Bernasconi pushes an aggressive, running style of play. Bradfield was taken with pick no.7 in the 2020 draft but her AFLW career has been stunted by an ACL injury in just her second game.

 

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Well, that was a looooooooooooooooooooooooong drawn out time to work out!

2023 NAB AFLW Season Start Confirmed

The AFL has confirmed the start date for the 2023 NAB AFLW season.

www.gwsgiants.com.au

The AFL has today confirmed the season start date for the 2023 NAB AFL Women's season, with the eighth season set to commence on the first weekend of September.

Round one of the AFLW season will once again coincide with the AFL Finals bye week. AFL EGM Football Operations, Legal & Integrity Andrew Dillon said: "The first weekend of September is the best time for the 2023 season to start, with all eyes on the AFLW due to the bye in the AFL. Season length and structure continue to be discussed as part of CBA negotiations. Planning is well underway and we are excited for the AFLW season ahead."

Clubs will officially begin their preparations for the upcoming season on May 29.

 

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Pre-season starts for the ladies:



Welcome to the newbies:

 

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'There's a sense of real hunger in the team this year': Bernasconi

The AFL Women's program has commenced for season 2023.

www.gwsgiants.com.au

The AFLW program has commenced for season 2023.

And as Head Coach Cam Bernasconi alluded to in AFLW: Day 1, the vibes are high. “It is really exciting to have the whole group back in the four walls of the GIANTS,” he said. “Straight away I can sense a great feeling in the group, a sense of real hunger in the team this year.”

The return on May 29 marked the commencement of the official AFLW pre-season period but the GIANTS had already been completing what they liked to refer to as Operation: Bridge the Gap. The program, which had been in place since end of January, was aimed at closing the gap between the GIANTS and the top teams and top players and Bernasconi labelled it as successful.

more in the story

 

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Brazendale the Benchmark in GIANT Mile

Madison Brazendale has started pre-season in impressive form, clocking a club PB in the AFLW time trial.

www.gwsgiants.com.au

It was a picture-perfect afternoon at Tom Wills oval on Wednesday, as the AFLW team prepared for one of pre-seasons annual benchmark assessments. Traditionally run as the 2km time trial, the GIANTS implement a distance of 1.6km for their pre-season endurance assessment. The revised distance, also known as ‘The GIANT Mile’ has been implemented at the GIANTS since season seven of AFLW, reflecting a more appropriate and tailored endurance test for AFLW athletes.

This season’s time trial saw a new winner and club-record holder with Madison Brazendale the first across the finish line. It was previous winner Tarni Evans who led for majority of the run but Brazendale edged out the reigning champ with about 100 metres to go. “It’s always a tough one to go out and do, but it felt good and I just had to hold on,” said Brazendale. “It was great having Tarni out there, she’s a great athlete and I knew she would run a good time, so I knew if I could stick with her I was going to do okay.”

Brazendale who was a national underage 400m hurdler, credited the running program as part of the Bridge the Gap program earlier this year. “Through the Bridge the Gap one of the focus areas included a running program and it’s definitely helped me come back fitter than last year, as I did a 30-second PB from last year.”

GIANTS Players’ 1.6km Time Trial Top 5

1. Madison Brazendale
2. Tarni Evans
3. Nicola Barr
4. Alicia Eva
5. Alyce Parker

 

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Not season 2023, but hopefully a Giants' star of the future.

 

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New Beginning, Position, Teammates Revitalises Garnett

Georgia Garnett gives the scoop on her teammate and life at the GIANTS.

www.gwsgiants.com.au

Last season was a fresh start for Georgia Garnett.

A shift into attack was just what the 21-year-old needed. As a result, Garnett was one of the GIANTS' best players last season, leading the club for marks, contested marks and goal assists, while kicking a career-best six goals of her own.

The change was, in truth, largely born out of a close relationship with Bernasconi and the effect he has on his players. "He is not only an awesome coach, but just an awesome bloke," Garnett said. "I think he's just made such a genuine effort to create relationships with all players, all staff. He's a mate, and I think it helps that he's a mate. It makes you want to work harder because, yes, he's your coach, but when he tells you to do something, you really do it because you really respect him and his opinion."

Into her fourth year at the club, Garnett is now part of a new era at GWS. With the youngest list in the competition – a far cry from the GIANTS of 2021 and before – and a fresh game plan, things feel new and exciting. "It's quite refreshing. It's exciting. Because we have such a young group, and also new coaching staff, new gameplan, it's different, it's fun," Garnett said. "Everyone's got to learn the new gameplan. Even those who have been there for a few years now, they're still learning how we want to play for the next couple of years. So, it's exciting football, it's fun to train, and we're all learning."

 

[Giant Strides]

Not the AFLW season/team, but I'll slip in the Under 18 National Championships Allies' team selection here.

Allies announce squad for AFLW U18s

The Allies announced their 30-player squad for the upcoming 2023 AFLW Under 18 Championships including six AFLW Academy members.

central.rookieme.com

AHEAD of their first match on July 2, the Allies have announced the 30-player squad for the AFL Women’s Under 18 Championships. Boasting a combination of players from the five Northern Academies as well as Tasmania, the Allies squad will take part in a training camp in Sydney this weekend before facing Vic Metro at Brighton Homes Arena the following weekend. (Note: Queensland has their own team in this format.)

The Allies have six AFL Women’s Academy representatives including MVP from the match against the Under 23 All-Stars, Mel Staunton (GWS Academy). Emma Suckling – a member of the GIANTS Academy and has played for the Murray Bushrangers – is also the cousin of Hawthorn premiership player and Bulldogs super boot, Matt.From a top-age draft perspective, outside the AFLW Academy members, GIANTS Academy defender Cleo Buttifant is an impressive key defender to keep an eye on.

Following the clash against Vic Metro on July 2, the Allies take on Queensland on August 6 and Western Australia on August 13.

#	NAME	SURNAME	HT	STATE	STATE LEAGUE CLUB	COMMUNITY CLUB
6	Sophie	Berry	163	NT	Northern Territory Academy	Southern Districts
7	Holly	Cooper	164	NSW/ACT	Sydney Swans Academy	Manly Warringah Wolves
8	Sophia	de Castella	164	NSW/ACT	GWS Giants Academy	Ainslie
9	Mackenzie	Ford	163	TAS	Tasmania Devils	Kingborough
10	Tsharni	Graham	173	NT	Northern Territory Academy	Palmerston Magpies
11	Emma	Juneja	170	NSW/ACT	Sydney Swans Academy	East Sydney
12	Olivia	Morris	165	NSW/ACT	Sydney Swans Academy	Pennant Hills
13	Tatyana	Perry	170	NT	Northern Territory Academy	Palmerston
14	Emma	Suckling	164	NSW/ACT	GWS Giants Academy / Murray Bushrangers	Belconnen / Lavington
15	Jasmyn	Thompson	164	TAS	Tasmania Devils	Ulverstone
16	Alice	Voss	173	NSW/ACT	Murray Bushrangers	Lavington
18	Candice	Belbin	163	TAS	Tasmania Devils	Ulverstone
19	Cleo	Buttifant	174	NSW/ACT	GWS Giants Academy	Ainslie / Turvey Park
20	Georgia	Clark	173	TAS	Tasmania Devils	Glenorchy
21	Gabrielle	Eaton	178	NSW/ACT	Sydney Swans Academy	Southern Power
22	Megan	Mifsud	164	NSW/ACT	GWS Giants Academy	Macquarie University
23	Ashley	Patton	171	NSW/ACT	GWS Giants Academy	Tuggeranong
24	Maria	Rioli	171	NT	Northern Territory Academy	Tiwi Bombers
25	Tamika	Rourke	175	NSW/ACT	GWS Giants Academy / Murray Bushrangers	Narrandera Eagles
26	Melanie	Staunton	169	NSW/ACT	GWS Giants Academy	East Coast Eagles / Ulladulla
27	Asha	Turner Funk	176	NSW/ACT	Sydney Swans Academy	Manly Warringah Wolves
28	Grace	White	170	TAS	Tasmania Devils	North Hobart
29	Mackenzie	Williams	171	TAS	Tasmania Devils	North Hobart
30	Grace	Whittaker	174	NT	Northern Territory	Southern Districts
31	Serina	Baukes	171	NSW/ACT	Sydney Swans Academy	UTS Bats
32	Kendra	Blattman	177	NSW/ACT	Sydney Swans Academy	Sydney University
33	Kyanne	Campbell	163	NT	Northern Territory Academy	Pioneer
34	Rhania	Hewitt	174	NT	Northern Territory Academy	Southern Districts
35	Tunisha	Kikoak	180	TAS	Tasmania Devils	Old Scotch Collegians
36	Marnie	Robinson	172	NSW/ACT	Sydney Swans Academy

 

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Eva Leads New Era of Leaders

Alicia Eva will continue as the GIANTS AFL Women’s captain in 2023, with a new era of young leaders set to support the star leader.

www.gwsgiants.com.au

Alicia Eva will continue as the GIANTS AFL Women’s captain in 2023, with a new era of young leaders set to support the star leader.

Eva, who is just the second person to lead the inaugural AFLW club, enters her fifth season as club captain.

Alyce Parker and Pepa Randall return to the leadership group, while four new names have been added to the cohort for 2023 – Rebecca Beeson, Katherine Smith, Georgia Garnett and Tarni Evans.

 

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Blockbuster Start for AFLW Season

The fixture for the 2023 AFL Women’s season has been released.

www.gwsgiants.com.au

GIANTS 2023 AFL Women's Fixture:

Round 1 - Swans v GIANTS at 3:05pm on Sunday, September 3 at North Sydney Oval
Round 2 - GIANTS v Melbourne at 5:05pm on Sunday, September 10 at Manuka Oval
Round 3 - GIANTS v Richmond at 1:05pm on Saturday, September 16 at Blacktown International Sportspark
Round 4 - GIANTS v Adelaide Crows at 11:05am on Saturday, September 23 at Manuka Oval
Round 5 - North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos v GIANTS at 1:05pm on Sunday, October 1 at Arden Street Oval
Round 6 - GIANTS v West Coast Eagles at 1:05pm on Saturday, October 7 at Blacktown International Sportspark
Round 7 - St Kilda v GIANTS at 1:05pm on Saturday, October 14 at RSEA Park
Round 8 - GIANTS v Carlton at 3:05pm on Saturday, October 21 at Henson Park
Round 9 - Gold Coast Suns v GIANTS at 7:45pm on Friday, October 27 at Heritage Bank Stadium
Round 10 - Port Adelaide v GIANTS at Alberton Oval, date and time TBC

 

[captainMyCaptain]

 

[Colonial]