Ellie Brush's retirement from soccer is set to bear fruit in Canberra as the Greater Western Sydney Giants prepare to host a blockbuster under lights in the capital.
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The Giants will finish the AFLW regular season with a clash against newcomers the Geelong Cats at Manuka Oval on a Friday night on March 15.
The clash marks the third consecutive season in which the Giants have played an AFLW game in Canberra despite not having a contractual obligation to have their women's side front up at Manuka Oval.
The club have started informal discussions about extending their 10-year, $23 million partnership with the ACT government to host games at an ageing Manuka Oval beyond 2021.
The presence of the Giants' AFLW side is a sign the club is committed to a future in Canberra, with chief executive Dave Matthews touting upgrades of Manuka Oval as his top priority in the capital.
The Giants will host one game at Manuka Oval and Drummoyne Oval while hosting two at Blacktown International Sportspark in a revamped AFLW competition in 2019.
The addition of Geelong and the North Melbourne Tasmania Kangaroos has seen the competition split into two conferences.
The Giants are in conference B alongside Brisbane, Collingwood, Carlton and Geelong, all of whom they will meet once in the seven round season.
GWS will meet Melbourne, Adelaide and the Kangaroos to fill out their regular season schedule before the top two teams from each conference play off in preliminary final fixtures ahead of the decider on the weekend of March 30-31.
The AFL is edging closer to publishing the fixture for the men's competition with the Giants setting their sights on an Easter Thursday blockbuster in the capital next season.
The club is keen to bring variation to the market with Hawthorn, Collingwood, Carlton, Sydney, Essendon, Brisbane, and West Coast the only clubs yet to play the Giants for premiership points at Manuka Oval.
GWS GIANTS 2019 AFLW FIXTURE
Round one: Sunday, February 3 - Brisbane Lions v GWS Giants at Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex, 4.05pm.
Round two: Friday, February 8 - GWS Giants v North Melbourne Tasmania Kangaroos at Drummoyne Oval, 7.15pm.
Round three: Saturday, February 16 - GWS Giants v Carlton Blues at Blacktown International Sportspark, 4.45pm.
Round foour: Sunday, February 24 - Collingwood Magpies v GWS Giants at Morwell Recreation Reserve, 2.05pm.
Round five: Sunday, March 3 - GWS Giants v Melbourne Demons at Blacktown International Sportspark, 2.05pm.
Round six: Sunday, March 10 - Adelaide Crows v GWS Giants at Unley Oval, 1.35pm.
Round seven: Friday, March 15 - GWS Giants v Geelong Cats at Manuka Oval, 7.15pm.
