Just like their male counterparts, Greater Western Sydney's female players will be road warriors when the inaugural NAB AFL Women's competition starts next month.
The GIANTS in the AFL play only two games at their Spotless Stadium home in the first eight rounds because of the Sydney Royal Easter Show, with the women's side also doing plenty of travelling in 2017.
The AFLW is an eight-team competition and the GIANTS are one of four clubs playing three home games and four away matches. With one of their 'home' fixtures scheduled for Manuka Oval in Canberra, the club's second home, the GIANTS will play just two matches in Sydney.
GIANTS coach Tim Schmidt told AFL.com.au the draw was just one of the many challenges facing the eight AFLW clubs, and he's already put things in place to make sure his squad was ready for the start of the season.
"It doesn't really faze me too much. It would have been nice to have an extra home game given one of ours is in Canberra, but we've got a great alliance there," he said.
"We've got a trial match (in Queensland) before the season starts so we'll use that to get the girls accustomed to travel.
"From there we'll come up with a good plan and see how the girls cope with that, and we can tweak it as we go,” he said.
"You just go out and try to play your best footy no matter which state you're in and who you're playing against.
"(GWS coach) Leon (Cameron) and his staff have been fantastic in offering us help and information, and it's important to have their support."
Schmidt said he would will rely on his experienced players to help his young side, with marquee signing Renee Forth taking on a much bigger off-field role after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the WAWFL finals just weeks after her signing.
A star of women's footy in Western Australia at both state and club level, Forth and her Coastal Titans teammate and Fremantle marquee player Kiara Bowers needed knee reconstructions after both were injured in the same game.
"It's really disappointing to lose a marquee player. She's a natural leader, so we've found her a developmental coaching role,” Schmidt said.
"She's been fantastic. Everything she says on the track is really positive and she's got a really good footy brain, so the girls listen and respect her greatly."
The GIANTS start their season in South Australia with a clash against Adelaide at Thebarton Oval on Saturday, February 4.
Become a member of the GIANTS' AFL Women's team now at membership.gwsgiants.com.au
