IN an early look at the upcoming AFL Women’s 2022 season, Draft Central checks out each of the 14 clubs over the next three weeks ahead of preseason commencing. Next up is GWS GIANTS, who were competitive throughout the season, but were unable to replicate the finals place of the year before, finishing ninth overall with a 4-5 record.

LAST SEASON:

Position: 9th
Wins: 4
Losses: 5
Draws: 0
Points For: 240 (11th)
Points Against: 324 (7th)

The GIANTS might not have made finals, but came close to a 50 per cent win-loss record, also ranking highly for defence, seventh overall in the competition. Offensively they lacked some firepower despite some consistent performers, which is what they addressed in the AFL Women’s Draft, as well as some further AFLW experience in the off-season. The GIANTS have been thereabouts over the first few seasons of the AFLW, never really bottoming out, but also never really looking like a genuine contender, which is something they will look to change going forward.

OFF-SEASON:

Ins: Chloe Dalton, Katie Loynes (Carlton), Jasmine Grierson (North Melbourne), Ally Morphett (Murray Bushrangers), Jess Doyle (Manly-Warringah Wolves), Georgina Fowler (East Coast Eagles), Brodee Mowbray (Southern Power), Casidhe Simmons (UNSW-ES Bulldogs)
Outs: Elle Bennetts (Western Bulldogs), Jess Dal Pos (Carlton), Aimee Schmidt (West Coast), Taylah Davies, Sarah Halvorsen, Jodie Hicks, Britt Tully (delisted)
Inactive: Jess Allan, Yvonne Bonner, Emily Goodsir

GWS GIANTS will head into the 2022 season with plenty of change after a big off-season in terms of players leaving or placed on the inactive list. The most recent of those was Emily Goodsir who announced her pregnancy and will sit out the 2022 AFLW season, joining Yvonne Bonner as two players expecting potential future GIANTS supporters. Jess Allan will also miss due to work commitments, whilst Jess Dal Pos was the biggest loss of the off-season with the inaugural GIANT heading to the Blues. They gained experience Blues duo Katie Loynes and Chloe Dalton in that trade however, and also picked up North Melbourne’s Jasmine Grierson to offset the losses of Elle Bennetts and Aimee Schmidt to rival clubs. Four additional players were delisted, meaning the GIANTS brought in five new faces via the draft alongside the redrafted Erin Todd. Two AFLW Academy members in dynamic forward-midfielder Jess Doyle and ruck-forward Ally Morphett will add extra top-end talent to the side, while high-impact forward Georgia Fowler and tackling machine Brodee Mowbray also suit up for the orange and charcoal, as will elite athlete Casidhe Simmons. Due to Goodsir’s recent pregnancy announcement, the GIANTS will have an additional spot to select another player ahead of the upcoming season.

2022 TEAM LIST:

Nicola Barr
Rebecca Beeson
Chloe Dalton
Jess Doyle
Alicia Eva
Tarni Evans
Georgina Fowler
Georgia Garnett
Emily Goodsir**
Libby Graham
Jasmine Grierson
Tanya Hetherington
Annalyse Lister
Katie Loynes
Tait Mackrill
Erin McKinnon
Ally Morphett
Brodee Mowbray
Alyce Parker
Emily Pease
Rebecca Privitelli
Pepa Randall
Casidhe Simmons
Katherine Smith
Brid Stack
Cora Staunton
Lisa Steane
Louise Stephenson
Erin Todd
Haneen Zreika

** inactive player yet to be replaced

KEY QUESTIONS:

• Will the new inclusions provide the GIANTS with enough firepower to kick a winning score more often than not?
• Will the likes of Katie Loynes, Chloe Dalton and Jasmine Grierson cover the experience lost over the off-season?
• How will the GIANTS manage their list post 2022 with the Sydney Swans entering the league?

PREDICTION:

The GWS GIANTS are a side you expect to be competitive once again and are probably favoured to finish around the middle of the table. Their defence is solid, and led by the likes of Alyce Parker and Alicia Eva in midfield, the midfield can win its own football going forward. With a young forward line, the GIANTS will continue to grow, and if they can hold their core together in the coming years with the threat of their cross-state rivals the Swans coming in, they are building a list with potential for the future.

Picture credit: GWS GIANTS