GIANTS ruck Erin McKinnon is expecting Melbourne to be looking for revenge in their round one AFLW clash at Casey Fields on Saturday.
The GIANTS beat the Demons in round five last year, effectively knocking them out of Grand Final contention with a five point win in soggy conditions at Blacktown International SportsPark.
Speaking on the GIANTS official AFLW podcast, A Club Like No Other, McKinnon said she expects Melbourne to come out firing after a big pre-season.
“It was great to beat them last year but the second season is going to be nothing like the first season,” she said.
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“Everyone has prepared so much more, they’ve had the whole offseason to prepare this time.
“We’ve had Alan McConnell come in so we’ve got new structures and I’m sure Melbourne has some new structures and changed some structures. They’ve got some new players too so I’m sure it’s going to be very different.
“They’re going to come at us very hard after we dashed their Grand Final hopes last year, they’re going to be out for revenge.”
The 19-year-old said the GIANTS are looking to use the clash to change a few pre-season perceptions and predictions.
“After the season launch and the survey with the captains Melbourne have been touted as one of the Grand Finalists,” she said.
“Hopefully we’ll knock them off their perch this weekend and show them they’ve underestimated the GIANTS.
“Having said that they do have a strong side so we’ve got to make sure we don’t underestimate them.”
Saturday’s clash also sees three players return to face their former clubs. GIANTS Maddie Boyd and Pepa Randall will play in orange and charcoal after being traded from Melbourne in the off season, while former GIANT Ashleigh Guest will play in red and blue for the first time.
McKinnon said the duo have been valuable additions both on and off the field.
“Maddie and Pepa have given us a great insight into Melbourne but at the same time the same goes for Melbourne,” she said.
“They’ve got Ashleigh Guest who played for us last year, so we’re sort of on even terms in that regards.”
A Club Like No Other is the GIANTS Official AFLW Podcast, you can listen to the latest episode below or subscribe to the show on iTunes.
