The GIANTS will crown their seventh AFLW Club Champion at the Gabrielle Trainor Medal on Friday night.
With injury hampering the GIANTS’ list this season it gave opportunity to younger players and required the more experienced ones to stand out.
Utilising 28-players on the GIANTS’ list there was plenty of players playing their part and polling votes throughout the season.
Previous Winners
2017 – Jessica Dal Pos
2018 – Alicia Eva
2019 – Rebecca Beeson
2020 – Alyce Parker
2021 – Alyce Parker
2022 (S6) – Alyce Parker
How does the count work?
After every game, Cam Bernasconi and his assistant coaches award votes to players as they see fit on a scale of 1 to 4 with maximum of 16 votes in a round.
The votes from across the season are then tallied up with the player with the most votes being crowned the Gabrielle Trainor Medallist.
The contenders
Nicola Barr – After missing the opening two games, Barr returned to the side in round three and hit the ground running. Owning her role down forward, Barr booted four goals for the season, the team’s third highest contributor.
Madison Brazendale – Not a known name going into the season, Brazendale impressed throughout her debut campaign. The 19-year-old may be new to the sport but utilised her speed, workrate and endurance to establish herself as one of the young talents in the competition. She may be a smokey for the top award, but expect to see her poll.
Alicia Eva – The captain stood tall all season as a young GIANTS side took on season seven. Averaging 16 disposals, 6 contested possessions and 4.1 tackles, Eva was a consistent ball-winner for the GIANTS’ midfield. Eva took out the award in 2018 and finished second in the vote count earlier this year (season six).
Tarni Evans – After an injury disrupted second season earlier this year (season six), Evans returned to the game in blazing form. A key player in the backline for the GIANTS this season, Evans often found herself among the GIANTS' best and was rewarded for her form with a Rising Star nomination in round eight.
Georgia Garnett – If it’s not this year, it’s not far off. Garnett is one of the most promising emerging talents on the GIANTS’ list. This season Garnett led the competition for marks (58) and sat second to Staunton in goals scored with six. She was dominant in round six against Carlton and round 10 against the Suns.
Ally Dallaway – The second-year player was the third most active midfielder for the GIANTS this season, only behind Alicia Eva and Alyce Parker. The 23-year-old played all 10-games for the second consecutive season and averaged 13 disposals, 5.1 contested possessions and 4.7 tackles.
Jodie Hicks – Could the former cross coder achieve the ultimate comeback by claiming her first Gabrielle Trainor Medal? A season off has worked wonders for Hicks, with the former forward, now defender, one of the GIANTS most reliable performers in season seven. Hicks finished the season with 126 disposals, 52 contested possessions, and 22 rebound 50’s.
Alyce Parker – You can’t look past the three-time Gabrielle Trainor Medallist. This week the 22-year-old has already been recognised as one of the best players in the competition, included in both the 40-player All Australian Squad and 44-player 22-under-22 squad. Can she make it four in a row or will a new champion be crowned?
Cora Staunton – Can Staunton top off a milestone season (50 goals, 50 games) with her first ever Gabrielle Trainor Medal? Flagged as one of the team’s key contributors, Staunton was constantly targeted by the opposition. But her impact still shone through with the 40-year-old the GIANTS’ leading goal kicker for the fourth consecutive season.
Katherine Smith – The former Melbourne Demon had her best season to date in the orange and charcoal. The brains and the body of the backline, Smith is both incredibly courageous and consistent. The 24-year-old was praised by Bernasconi regularly and is expected to poll well throughout the night.
Other awards:
- Rising Star
- GIANTS Community Award
- Member’s Choice Award
- Mark of the Year
- Goal of the Year
- Defensive Moment of the Year (New)
- Leading Goal Kicker
- Jacinda Barclay Fearless Award
- Coaches Award
The Gabrielle Trainor Medal will be held at the Ivy Precinct on Friday, 11 November, The evening will unfortunately not be live streamed, but members and fans can keep up with all the action via the GIANTS’ social media accounts.
