THE 2022 AFL Women’s season is almost upon us, so it is time to take a look at each of the competing teams and see where they sit as we head into another season. Today we will take a look at GWS GIANTS, who just missed out on finals in 2021.

It was an ‘almost’ season for the Giants, refusing to give in after being badly beaten by Fremantle and Adelaide in the opening fortnight. With Alyce Parker – equal third in the competition’s best and fairest award – Rebecca Beeson and skipper Alicia Eva terrific contributors week-in and week-out, GWS won four of its next six games to be an outside chance of qualifying for the top-six before a last round loss to Carlton. Four wins and five losses left the Giants in ninth place.

They recruited very well in the offseason and brought in a lot of talent and experience.

In the trade period alone, they brought in Jasmine Grierson from North Melbourne, and from Carlton they brought in Chloe Dalton and one of the steals of the Trade Period in Katie Loynes.

These inclusions are on top of the talent they brought in through the draft in Jessica Doyle, Georgie Fowler, Ally Morphett, Brodee Mowbray and Cassidhe Simmons, and re-listed Erin Lorenzini (nee Todd).

Loynes in particular is a massive get, because as a former captain of Carlton she brings in a lot of maturity and experience to what is arguably a fairly young side. She also brings in AFLW Grand Final experience, after she was a member of Carlton’s losing 2019 Grand Final side.

GWS also brought in Isadora McLeay and Ally Dallaway from AFL Sydney as replacement players for those on their inactive list. McLeay herself then ended up on the inactive list after doing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which allowed Dallaway to replace the replacement player.

Speaking of the inactive list, it’s a fairly extensive one in comparison to much of the rest of the competition. Alongside McLeay, Jess Allan has to miss the season due to work, and Yvonne Bonner and Emily Goodsir are both pregnant.

They also had a number of players leave the club at the end of 2021, who were either traded or delisted.

The most notable of these is Jessica Dal Pos, who left to return home to Victoria and joined Carlton. She leaves a big experience gap, but those players that GWS have brought in should be able to cover that.

GWS have quite the mixed bag to open their season. Three away trips in a row will be difficult, but the Fremantle game is no longer at the fortress of Fremantle Oval, so that will make things a little easier.

They have Gold Coast, Fremantle, North Melbourne, Western Bulldogs and then St Kilda in the front half of the season. With at least three of those games very winnable, they could be in a very good position heading into the back half of the season.

The following two games against Melbourne and Adelaide will be difficult, but they have Carlton, Richmond and Geelong to end the season, which are all winnable games.

GWS are very much in contention to make finals this year, they just need to win the winnable games and maybe pinch a few upsets.

2022 SQUAD:

• Nicola Barr
• Rebecca Beeson
• Chloe Dalton
• Ally Dallaway
• Jess Doyle
• Alicia Eva
• Tarni Evans
• Georgina Fowler
• Georgia Garnett
• Libby Graham
• Jasmine Grierson
• Tanya Hetherington
• Annalyse Lister
• Erin Lorenzini (nee Todd)
• 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
• Haneen Zreika