WINTER is coming and Women’s players in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and Queensland will now be able to participate in a second-tier level of Australian Rules competition with the formation of a new series.

The AFLW Winter Series has been created in partnership with the AFL, AFL NSW/ACT, and AFL Queensland for AFLW players to participate in during the AFLW off-season. As it stood, players from the northern states and territories – Queensland, New South Wales and ACT – did not have a statewide competition and therefore had to return to local clubs, or head interstate to play at state level.

The AFLW Winter Series includes four matches, starting in May, and also serves as an opportunity for potential AFLW players in those northern states, to play alongside and against current AFLW stars. The GWS Giants, Gold Coast Suns and Brisbane Lions have been granted entry into the competition, with each team granted a list of 30 players. For the Giants, they will field two teams known as the ‘Northern Giants’ and ‘Southern Giants’.

The Northern Giants will be comprised of players from AFL Sydney, AFL Central West Women’s, Black Diamond League, AFL North West NSW and AFL North Coast. The Southern Giants will be comprised of players based in the ACT, Riverina and Broken Hill regions, with their home base in the ACT.

AFL NSW/ACT Female Football Manager, Hannah Davis, told the AFL NSW/ACT website that the series is a great opportunity to grow, enhance and retain the AFL Women’s talent in the New South Wales and ACT region.

“It has been a key priority for us to be able to offer a complete pathway through to AFLW for females in New South Wales and the ACT,” Davis said. “We are thrilled to be able to announce this first step in establishing a second-tier competition for the north-eastern states, as we continue to work towards a more expansive competition in coming years.”

For more information on how to test for the teams, or express interest in coaching or support staff roles, head to the AFL NSW/ACT website.

Auskick launches

AFL NSW/ACT’s 2018  NAB AFL Auskick program launched with a bang last week as aspiring AFL and AFLW youngsters took to the field in a great social day. Birchgrove Park in Sydney provided the perfect backdrop for the launch, with Sydney Harbour in the background in sunny weather conditions. Both the GWS Giants and Sydney Swans visited the launch throughout the day, giving fans a chance to get up close and personal with some of their heroes. For pictures of the day, head to the AFL NSW/ACT Facebook page.

GWS Giants fall one week short of AFLW Grand Final

It was a case of so close, yet so far as the GWS Giants fell one win short of playing in the second AFLW Grand Final. The Giants bounced back from a wooden spoon last year and two consecutive losses to start the season, to shoot up to third on the table heading into the final round. A win against Brisbane would have seen the Giants sneak in to an unlikely grand final, but it was not to be. Nonetheless last year’s cellar dwellers can be more than proud of their efforts after a sensational season in the AFLW under coach Alan McConnell and the rest of the Giants coaching staff.