While the majority of the squad has prepared for the AFLW season in Albury and Adelaide, there has been one familiar face missing.  

Inaugural GIANT Lou Stephenson has been fulfilling her football commitments, on top of completing the final stages of her training with Fire and Rescue NSW.  

Late last week, Stephenson achieved her goal of graduating as a Firefighter and will now combine her emergency services role with that of being an AFLW player. 

Stephenson, 25, is the face of part two of the GIANTS’ Unfinished Business series, presented by Harvey Norman, as we count down to round one of the AFLW season. 

Part one revisited the end of the previous season and the uncertainly that the COVID-19 pandemic presented throughout 2020. 

02:04

GIANTS x Harvey Norman: Unfinished Business - Part 1

In a year like no other, the GIANTS AFLW team faced unprecedented challenges and a lot of unfinished business. Presented by Harvey Norman.

The latest piece follows the challenges the team has faced in preparing for the fifth AFLW season, which has seen players continue training wherever and whenever possible.  

This has included some players training in hotel quarantine, completing brutal group training sessions and those like Stephenson continuing to put in the hard yards, despite being away from the main group.  

The rest of the squad relocated from Sydney to Albury on New Year's Day before moving to Adelaide last weekend to take on the Crows in an AFLW practice match. 

01:08

GIANTS x Harvey Norman: Unfinished Business - Part 2

Across an interrupted summer, we've trained wherever we can, whenever we can with whoever we can. Nothing will get in our way as we approach the 2021 AFLW season. Presented by Harvey Norman.

Under the guidance of experienced coach Alan McConnell, the AFLW team will continue their preparations in Adelaide before a round one clash against Fremantle in Perth on January 1. 

While Stephenson looks like she’ll be unable to play the opening round due to current border restrictions in WA, the versatile tall is hoping to rejoin the team when they return to the east coast.  

The support of Harvey Norman has been crucial in the lead up to the AFLW season and will continue to be throughout the 2021 season.  

The GIANTS would also like to thank Charlie Bucket for supplying some of the vision used in this Unfinished Business piece from the training session the team completed at Chocolate Box Training in Cromer in November.