The GIANTS have welcomed three fresh faces to the club following the 2020 NAB AFLW draft on Tuesday evening.
After finishing second in their conference and appearing in their first AFLW finals campaign last season, the GIANTS secured picks 9, 29 and 42 in this year’s draft.
The GIANTS had no hesistation on using their first round pick on athletic utility Tarni Evans.
The 18-year old was listed in the womens.afl top draft prospects and is no stranger to making sacrifices to pursue her dreams.
Evans made the move from her hometown of Tathra on the NSW South Coast to Canberra when she was 17 for her school and football commitments.
She has since taken her game to the next level playing for the Queanbeyan Tigers.
Joining the club, also from Canberra, is defensive midfielder Emily Pease from the Belconnen Magpies.
Pease, who was taken at pick 29, comes from an athletics background and fell in love with Aussie Rules six years ago when introduced to the game by school friends.
Evans and Pease have not only crossed paths on the footy field in recent years, but were familiar faces to one another previously on the track during Little Athletics.
The duo were both part of the NAB AFLW academy and spent a week in January with the GIANTS learning and training alongside some of the competition’s best.
The third signing for the GIANTS heading into season 2021 is Libby Graham from the Manly Warringah Wolves.
Graham will step up her commitments with the club next season having been a train-on partner with the club during the 2020 season.
The 23-year old changed AFL Sydney Women’s Club this year to give herself the best chance of being drafted and has relished the role of a rebounding defender for the Wolves.
AFLW Head Coach Alan McConnell is excited with the talent the club has picked up.
“We’re delighted to add another three players from our region to our list ahead of the 2021 season.
“All three players will bring something different to our squad and illustrate the pathways that are being provided across New South Wales and the ACT from community football to the elite level.
“We’re pretty close to having our squad for 2021 locked away now and I know all our players are looking forward to training hard across the summer and fighting for another finals berth.”
Tarni Evans
Pick: 9
Position: Wing
Club: Queanbeyan Tigers
Evans is an impressive endurance athlete and last week recorded the second fastest Combine 2km time trial of all time, 7m14s. Standing at 180cm, Evans is quite tall for the wing position she has predominantly played in 2020 and has become known for her raking left foot.
Emily Pease
Pick: 29
Position: Defender / Midfielder
Club: Belconnen Magpies
Pease took up Aussie Rules at the suggestion of school friends in Canberra and has never looked back. The 18-year old comes from an athletics background and her running ability coupled with her tackling has seen her develop into a defensive midfielder and a handy pick up for the GIANTS.
Libby Graham
Pick: 42
Position: Defender
Club: Manly Warringah Football Club
Inspired by the surge of interest around the first season of AFLW, Graham took up Aussie Rules in 2017 and has quickly become one of the standout players in the AFL Sydney Women’s competition. The 23-year old played as a rebounding defender this season and will have the opportunity to represent the GIANTS in 2021.
