If you are an AFL player, I imagine that there are certain milestones that will always stick out in your memory when you reflect on your career. A premiership if you are lucky enough to win one. A Brownlow Medal if you are lucky enough to be awarded one. Being presented with your first team guernsey. But up there with the fondest of memories must be the memory of making your AFL debut.
Last week, it was Jacob Hopper’s turn.
This week there was very exciting news coming out of GWS Giants HQ, with the Club announcing that it has officially lodged its bid with the AFL to obtain a licence for the inaugural national women’s league which is set to launch in February 2016. With the AFL keen to give the 8 chosen clubs as much time as possible to organise their teams before launch date, the outcome of the bid should be known by the end of May.
With the GWS Giants the only Sydney club to put in a bid for a licence, I am confident that I will have a women’s team to call my own in 2017.
Last weekend was my first GWS Giants game in Sydney for 2016.
Not only was it my first game for this year, but it was also my first game as an official member of the GWS Giants. Whilst I never thought orange would be a colour I would voluntarily wear, I’m looking forward to rocking the orange this winter and supporting my team throughout the season. I’m even more excited about the talk about a GWS Giants women’s team next year, but a bit more on that later.
As most of you will know, the game of rugby league is the game that I love. However, following the outcry after the Swans game this weekend, I felt it was time to write something AFL. Many thanks to an anonymous friend who helped me a bunch with this piece. Enjoy.
In Round 4 of the 1993 AFL season, two traditional Melbourne clubs went into battle – Collingwood and St Kilda. Collingwood, the powerhouse and St Kilda the perennial underachievers. The game was played at Collingwood’s fortress – Victoria Park in suburban Abbotsford – a fearful venue for opposition players and supporters alike.
Something very special is building in Western Sydney.
Saturday 20th February was one of my favourite days of the year – Fan Day. But not just one Fan Day. This year, I attended both Parramatta Eels Fan Day and GWS Giants Fan Day in one day. You might say I was in fan engagement heaven.
I am a regular fixture at Parramatta Eels Fan Day and have been for several years now. It is a good opportunity to catch up with my friends at the Club, the Club’s fantastic fans and members and to personally welcome new players to the blue and gold. It’s also a great chance to have a new poster signed for my office at work and to have a smiley photo with my favourite players (big thanks to Michael Gordon for his big smile on the day).
This story was first written for and published by Western Sydney Women.
There are very few things in the world that have the power that sport does. Sport has the capacity to incite passion, to cause devastation, to evoke extreme emotion and ultimately to unite us as human beings.
On Saturday, Spotless Stadium will open its gates to GWS Giants fans across Sydney, as the Giants face the Hawthorn Hawks in their first Sydney home game of 2016.
I have very fond memories of Spotless Stadium. After becoming a member of the Sydney Thunder during BBL05 and WBBL01, I spent many summer evenings at Spotless Stadium cheering as Andre Russell hit boundary after boundary, watching the rise of Chris Green as a bowler and saying a fond farewell to Mr Cricket as his career ended.