Four fresh faces will headline the GIANTS’ season opener this Saturday, with Kaitlyn Srhoj, Eilish O’Dowd, Mikayla Pauga and Clare Ransom all named in the week one team.
Srhoj and O’Dowd will make their AFLW debuts while Pauga and Ransom will make their club debuts after joining the club through the trade period last year.
Taken with pick three in last year’s draft, Kaitlyn Srhoj (a surname of Croatian origin and pronounced Sir-hoy) has wasted little time impressing in her first AFLW pre-season to earn the call up.
The talented teenager was told of her upcoming debut by coach Cam Bernasconi in front of the entire playing group on Thursday morning, with Srhoj brought to tears upon hearing the news, expressing it was a “dream come true”.
The GIANTS will also unleash Irish rookie Eilish O’Dowd for her AFLW debut this weekend, becoming the fourth Irishwoman to wear the orange and charcoal.
O’Dowd joined the GIANTS as a rookie at the end of last year after helping lead Dublin to the All-Ireland Gaelic Championship.
Standing at 180cm tall, O’Dowd boasts a range of physical attributes that the GIANTS were hopeful would translate well into an AFLW system and they’ve been proven right across an impressive pre-season from the Irishwoman.
Premiership player Mikayla Pauga will don her new colours for the first official time this weekend. The former Lion joined the GIANTS in the summer as a part of a trade between the two clubs.
Hailing from Queensland, Pauga honed her skills in the NAB AFLW Academy and in the Queensland U19 side before being drafted through eye-catching performances as an 18-year-old.
The 20-year-old played 15 games in her three seasons with the Lions and is set to bolster the GIANTS midfield with her energy and explosiveness.
Fellow newcomer Claire Ransom will also make her club debut in the opening round clash against the Bulldogs on Saturday.
A tough but silky-smooth midfielder with great evasive skills, Ransom was drafted by the Suns in 2022 after starring for the Tasmania Devils in the NAB League girls' competition.
The gun teenager, who can play on a wing or up forward, has made the most of her time at the club so far, re-gaining her love for the game which is shining through in what she is putting out on the field.
The 19-year-old has been praised for her willingness to learn, her competitiveness and her ability to play multiple roles which is set to strengthen the GIANTS’ young midfield.
Alongside the four fresh faces, GIANTS star Alyce Parker will run out for her 50th AFLW and club game this Saturday.
Meanwhile, Meghan Gaffney has been named to make her return after she missed the entire 2023 season with an ACL injury.
The GIANTS will open their 2024 campaign this Saturday as they take on the Bulldogs on Manuka Oval.
