The GIANTS face the winless Richmond Tigers for the first time in the NAB AFL Women’s competition when they take to Robertson Oval in Wagga Wagga on Saturday.
The Details
GIANTS v Richmond Tigers
Saturday, March 7 at 5:10pm
Robertson Oval, Wagga Wagga
Entry is FREE
The Game
The game shapes as an important one for both sides. A GIANTS win at home would help them to remain in the hunt for finals, while the Tigers need to break their duck.A poor performance against the Brisbane Lions last Sunday saw the GIANTS slip out of the top three of Conference A.
Richmond were well in the game against Geelong in Ballarat last Saturday, but some costly errors saw them concede six goals in a quarter against the Cats. Despite the 22-point loss, the Lions were able to kick seven goals, their best haul of the season.
The game is the first AFLW game played in the Riverina and serves as a homecoming of sorts for two of the GIANTS’ young guns, Holbrook’s Alyce Parker and Hay’s Jodie Hicks.
The Key Points
- Two of the competition’s brightest stars will be on show on Saturday with the GIANTS’ Alyce Parker and Richmond’s Monique Conti to go head-to-head in the midfield. Parker averages 17.8 disposals per game in 2020, while Conti is just ahead, averaging 19 per game.
- Phoebe Monahan and Christina Bernardi will face the GIANTS for the first time since joining Richmond from the GIANTS as expansion signings. Monahan has been busy in Richmond’s backline and leads the competition for metres gained with 1763m in 2020. Bernardi – who kicked seven goals for the GIANTS in 2019 – has kicked just two goals in her four games this season.
- Until their haul of seven goals in round four, Richmond had managed just two goals a game in their first three matches. Despite that stat, they have had 10 or more scoring shots in their past three games. The GIANTS haven’t had the best of seasons in front of goal either. Taking away the six goals kicked in their round-three win over West Coast, they average just two goals per game and seven shots on goal this season.
- The battle of the talls will be one to watch. 20-year-old GIANTS ruck Jess Allan (185cm) has hit form, averaging 17.5 hitouts per game and taking four marks against Adelaide. 21-year-old Richmond ruck Alice Edmonds (189cm) has also impressed at times during 2020, averaging 13.8 hitouts from four games.
Who to Watch
Sarah Halvorsen. The North Coast product will make her AFL Women's debut in the game on Saturday having impressed since coming to the club via the 2019 NAB AFLW Draft. A versatile tall, Halvorsen can play at either end of the ground.
How to Watch
The match will be broadcast live on 7Mate in NSW, the ACT, and can be watched on Foxtel or the Kayo App with a subscription.
All AFL Women’s matches are streamed live via womens.afl and the AFLW Official App.
