AFTER successive seasons of finishing inside the bottom three on the AFL Women’s ladder, the GWS Giants, Gold Coast and Collingwood have all received a special assistance package which was approved by the AFL Commission today.

As part of the package, each of the clubs will receive additional support for their list management structures which will attempt to improve their recent struggles. The Giants have secured the most immediate relief with two top 20 picks, while the Suns and Magpies have both received additional list spots across the next two seasons.

The GWS GIANTS will receive:

• Pick 3 in the 2025 Telstra AFLW National Draft (currently pick 3) and pick 19 in the 2026 Telstra AFLW National Draft (end of first round selection).

The Gold Coast SUNS will receive:

• Two additional list spots for the 2026 and 2027 NAB AFLW Seasons.

Collingwood will receive:

• Two additional list spots for 2026 NAB AFLW season and one additional list spot for 2027 NAB AFLW season.

AFL Executive General Manager of Football Operations, Laura Kane said the special assistance packages were designed to help the clubs improve their on-field performance.

“Gold Coast have had three wins over the past two years, resulting in a 15 per cent win rate, while GWS have recorded a 17 per cent win rate over the past three years. Collingwood sit at the same level after securing only four wins in the past two years,” Kane said.

“We want these three clubs to return to being competitive after several years of consistent underperformance, and after extensive consultation with them, we believe this package is structured to support that goal.”

While the Suns and Magpies concessions are fairly straight forward, the Giants’ concession mean the club will now hold the selections of two, three, 19 and 21 heading into this year’s AFLW Draft.