She’s found her love for footy again thanks to the GIANTS and now newcomer Claire Ransom has her eyes set on a round one club debut.
Originally drafted by the Gold Coast Suns with pick 34 in the 2022 AFLW draft, Ransom spent two seasons with the Suns before joining the GIANTS in the summer looking for a fresh start after admitting she lost her passion for the game she grew up loving.
Uprooting her life and moving to the Harbour City at the start of the year, the talented Tasmanian midfielder, who is one of eight new players in the club’s AFLW side for the upcoming season, is thriving in her new life at the GIANTS.
“I’ve come here and I’ve just been able to fall back in love with football,” the 20-year-old from Hobart said.
“Being at the GIANTS has made me really love footy again and I didn’t think I’d ever be back to where I am now but I’m happier than I’ve ever been so I’m loving how it's all going.
“Getting drafted in year 12 [back in 2022] and having a lot of pressure on you and that sort of thing [can be tough] so I took some time away from footy last year. Then coming here, the GIANTS have made the experience so enjoyable and everything runs so smoothly here that it allows me to just focus on my footy and to find my passion for it again.
“It’s not very often that you feel like you can be yourself right from the get-go [at a new club] but the whole team just makes you feel so comfortable to be who you are and they’re so accepting of who everyone is which makes it such a nice environment to be a part of.”
A familiar face helping Ransom settle into her new surroundings is one of her former underage state representative teammates and now GIANTS teammate, Meghan Gaffney, with the Tassie pair reunited and living together in Sydney.
“She’s from the other end of Tassie but we knew each other and played with each other for a few years for the Devils [Tasmania’s underage state team] and we got drafted in the same year and so we’ve reconnected this year which has been awesome,” Ransom said.
“She’s [Gaffney] made it really easy for me and it’s almost like having a little bit of home for each other I think, knowing that we are both from Tassie and having that connection to Tassie, but also that connection to the GIANTS - it’s been really nice.”
With her enjoyment around footy at an all-time high, Ransom - who also started a nursing degree at UTS in February - says her focus is now on making the most of her opportunity on the field as a GIANT.
“The focus at the start of the year was making sure that I could fully fall in love with the game again and since I have, and since I’m enjoying it so much now, I’m now really striving to put myself in the best position to play the most footy that I can this year - starting with round one, which is my aim,” she said.
“I’m hoping it can start there and I can build on it from there.”
A tough but silky midfielder with great evasive skills, Ransom is hoping her work in the pre-season alongside four-time club champion Alyce Parker can help her have an impact for the GIANTS this upcoming season.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time with Alyce Parker. She’s obviously got so much knowledge to teach me, and I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can during training, before training, after training, watching our training sessions back and that sort of thing.
“I’m just trying to take as much information from her as I can and I’m super grateful she’s taken me under her wing and showing me the ropes a little bit.”
Fresh off the club’s recent pre-season camp in Kangaroo Valley - which she says was invaluable to helping form tighter bonds with her new teammates - Ransom can’t wait for the upcoming AFLW season which is just six short weeks away.
“It’s come around so quick and I’m super excited to get out on the field,” she said.
“There are so many new opportunities for a lot of the girls [on the team] this year and I think we’ll all come together really well on the field. I can’t wait to start playing.”
Following a pair of pre-season hit-outs against the Kangaroos and the Swans in the next month, the GIANTS will kickstart their 2024 AFLW campaign with an exciting round one clash with the Western Bulldogs in Canberra on Saturday, August 31.
