A cross-town AFL rivalry developed a new aspect last weekend on Saturday, April 9 when the Greater Western Sydney Giants and the Sydney Swans both fielded an academy-based women’s team to play as a curtain-raiser to Sydney Derby IX.
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Quenbeyan Tigerettes Lani Watson and Ella Ross both suited up for the Giants and went down by a margin of 29 points to a fit, fast and ferocious Swans outfit. Both Watson and Ross attribute the greater exposure of the female game to the increase in participation levels.
“I’m starting my third season and even in the past three years it has just grown, like each club in the ACT is fielding a women’s AFL team and are fielding those teams easily,” Ross said.
“We’re constantly having new people coming in, and the coaching is incredible, so it’s growing massively everywhere,” Watson said.
In the last five years, the level of total female participation in AFL has grown by 405 per cent across NSW and the ACT. Popularity and participation are at a record high and Giants chairman Tony Shepherd has announced the club is set to make a bid for an AFL licence to field a team in the National Women’s League, set to commence in 2017.
“We believe we have a flourishing nursery of talent to make up a strong Giants team,” he said.
SYDNEY SWANS 3.2 6.6 8.8 9.8 (62)
GWS GIANTS 0.0 2.2 3.2 5.3 (33)
