The GIANTS have gone down 3.4.22 to 9.10.64 in their official Practice Match, three weeks out from the first ball up of the 2026 NAB AFLW Season.
It was a highly physical affair and important test for the GIANTS, with the Bulldogs a competitive outfit who finished twelfth on the ladder last season.
Though the Bulldogs controlled much of the ball out of stoppage, the GIANTS’ pressure acts steadily increased to match pace with their opponents through the middle of the ground.
The composed Bulldogs midfield unit made work of a spare player behind the ball, to comfortably win the uncontested possession count and create more free-flowing football up the wings and into their attacking 50.
A work on through the pre-season, the GIANTS looked more considered around the centre and in stoppage work around the ground, with the team’s fresh faces featuring heavily.
Yasmeen Janschek slotted the GIANTS first, with a runaway shot from outside the 50, before Alyce Parker showed why her return is so important to this team with the second midway through the first term.
Parker did battle with Bulldogs’ livewire Elaine Grigg through the centre, with Grigg and teammate Ellie Blackburn controlling most of the play out of possession for the travelling team.
Boasting a taller line-up this season, Janschek shared ruck duties with Maisy Evans, while fellow tall Fleur Davies spent most of her minutes as a leading forward, as the team looks to new solutions for a leading forward, with Zarlie Goldsworthy ruled out of the early portion of the season with injury.
In a swapping of the magnets, Tilly Lucas-Rodd started the match in the forward 50, while Issy Huntington, who spent much of the 2025 season at full forward swapped to her more traditional role in the backline.
It proved an important move, with Lucas-Rodd adding to the contest on the arc and allowing for more height in defence.
While the GIANTS’ backline found it difficult to curb the impact of Alice Edmonds in the air, an injury to the Bulldogs’ tall midway through the second term muted her impact for the remainder of the match.
Further bolstering their defensive stocks, Poppy Boltz’s impact on the side is obvious, with the Brisbane recruit pairing well with All Australian Cambridge McCormick to aid the GIANTS’ rebounding from defence.
Draftees do damage
Sophia Gaukrodger likewise showed why she was such an important pick up for the GIANTS in the inaugural pre-season draft with strong hands above her head, picking up 5 marks for the game acting as a high half-forward.
Another of the 2025 draft crop, Kiera Yerbury, has quickly adapted to the GIANTS’ pressure game, using her speed as an important weapon both in attack and behind the ball, notching 4 tackles for the match.
Parker’s immediate impact
After being sidelined by injury for the near-entirety of the 2025 season, vice captain Alyce Parker showed why she is such a valued part of the GIANTS club.
Her leadership around the ground was as important as the 21 touches she racked up over the course of the game, while also proving her skills haven’t suffered through the time away from the game.
Goals
Y Janschek – 1.0, A Parker – 1.0, J. Doyle 1.0
