Women’s team part of GWS’s plan to push deep into ‘enemy’ territory

THE gloves are off in Sydney’s AFL rivalry with the Giants set to use their women’s team to push into territory traditionally dominated by the Swans.

GWS women’s head coach Alan McConnell with players Renee Forth, Maddy Collier and Emma Swanson. Picture: Phil Hillyard

THE gloves are off in Sydney’s AFL rivalry with the Giants set to use their women’s team to push into territory traditionally dominated by the Swans.

The stunning success of the AFLW has given GWS a weapon which the red and whites don’t have and they are going to use it by playing next season’s games on what has been considered Swans territory.

The Giants are even looking at playing an AFLW game on the Swans’ home ground — the SCG.

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“We are the women’s team for all of Sydney and Canberra we would love to have a game at the SCG,” Giants CEO David Matthews told The ­Sunday Telegraph.

“That’s hard with the commitment to cricket but we will be looking for the Giants AFLW team to play matches next year in the east, the inner suburbs, Canberra and the west. We will be taking the women’s team all around Sydney.”

The Giants were able to steal a march on their fierce rivals when they became one of eight teams in the popular inaugural AFLW season.

GWS women’s head coach Alan McConnell with players Renee Forth, Maddy Collier and Emma Swanson. Picture: Phil Hillyard

The Swans were unable to make a bid for one of the licences due to the lack of a suitable venue and training facilities in Sydney’s east. While the Swans and NSWAFL look for a suitable venue, GWS are pushing into their territory.

“Blacktown, Spotless, Drummoyne and Canberra and if there is anything further east we would consider that,” Matthews said.

“Right now it’s the Giants who are representing the aspirations of women’s AFL in Sydney and we want to cater for that.”

NSW and Sydney metro is divided into Academy Zones where GWS has the much stronger AFL areas such as the Riverina and Canberra while the Swans have the Aussie rules outpost of northern NSW.

The Riverina and Canberra to GWS is a sore point for the Swans who had access to the area before the Giants arrived on the scene.

Former Swans captains Paul Kelly and Denis Carroll were just two of many former Sydney players to come from the Riverina.

Earlier this week the Giants appointed their director of coaching Alan McConnell as head coach of their women’s team.

McConnell will be the most qualified coach in the AFLW with more than 30 years experience including a stint as senior coach of Fitzroy.

Originally published as Women’s team part of GWS’s plan to push deep into ‘enemy’ territory