Four young guns from the GIANTS Academy girls program continued their push towards their AFLW dreams over the weekend after featuring in the 2025 Marsh AFL National Futures Girls match played at IKON Park on Sunday.
Bringing together the country’s best prospects of the 2026 draft class, Sunday’s clash featured GIANTS Academy youngsters Darcie Prosser-Shaw, Majella Day, Morgan Stevens, and Zoe Curry as they mixed it with the best underage talent around the country.
The talent showcase, which was played prior to the AFLW clash between Richmond and Geelong, saw Team Vescio defeat Team Conti, 7.6 (48) to 5.11 (41).
All players selected in the game were born in 2008 and will be eligible for selection in the 2026 Telstra AFLW Draft, with players nominated by state talent programs, national selectors, and AFLW club recruiters.
GIANTS Academy Girls coach Georgia Walker said it was great to see four of the club’s Academy girls get their chance to shine on the national stage.
“To be recognised as some of the best 17-year-olds in the country is pretty exciting and it starts to build momentum forward for them coming into their draft year,” she said.
“It was pretty special to see Darcie, Majella, Morgan, and Zoe all playing and for them to play really well.”
Walker said the weekend provided a host of benefits for the talented teenagers.
“They got to play against the best in the country and that’s something we probably don’t get to do in the GIANTS Academy a lot because we only have the four Coates Talent League games and then they play Allies so they don’t get to play against the top end talent all the time so that was great for them.
“They also got to have a training session out at The Hangar – Essendon’s training facility – which is a beautiful facility. Then they went and watched an AFLW game all together.
“These girls are all looking to get drafted so being around them and these types of camps are great for them. They aren’t high pressured games in terms of the results but its high pressure in the sense that they’re on show and recruiters and selectors are all watching them so it’s great practice for them.”
Walker added it was great motivator for the four GIANTS Academy girls to know that their names are in the conversation to make it to the elite level via next year’s draft.
“All of them had very good Coates Talent League performances and have been very good juniors. The last 16 months or so they’ve all worked their butts off with their training and their fitness so they’re giving themselves the best chance and their selection was great recognition of that.
“They all do so much for their footy and they’re some of the hardest workers we have in the Academy and that’s why they are as good as they are.
“Some of them were pretty emotional in getting selected and it’s really nice for them to be given that confidence and momentum heading into their draft year next year.
“It’s also great for the program that we are now coming into our fifth year in the girls space and these girls have been playing footy since they were eight or nine years old so it's pretty much all they know now.
“It’s really exciting that we are reaping the rewards in the Academy and it allows the younger girls coming through to really see that there is a pathway for them now.”
Leading the way on Sunday for the GIANTS contingent was Day, with the talented forward kicking three of her side’s five goals to highlight her enormous potential.
“She’s one of the most natural footballers and forwards I’ve seen in a long time. She’s an impressive kid, “Walker said.
“There’s a lot of talk around her at the moment. She is just head down and bum up and no fuss. She’s a really mature and resilient footballer and she’s in a really good spot coming into her draft year.
“She can play full forward, she can play as a high forward, she’s a got a tank and she’s an incredible contested mark. She’s really smart, and she’ll kick goals from set shots or snaps - her goal sense is really impressive.”
The GIANTS’ young stars of the future will now have some down time away from their footballing commitments before the GIANTS Academy starts back up in November for its pre-season to help them build towards their draft year.
