GWS Giants' Tarni Evans and Emily Pease have found a silver lining to the AFLW club's mad dash to Albury.
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It's a chance to bond with their new teammates and strengthen credentials ahead of their debut season, with the AFL Canberra products counting down to kick-off.
The Giants have temporarily relocated to the NSW regional city in the hope they can bypass border restrictions and ensure their season starts as scheduled on January 31.
They'll spend two weeks in Albury before moving to Melbourne for a practice match in mid-January, depending on Victoria's border policy with NSW in the next fortnight.
Evans and Pease are relishing their time in Albury as they settle into life as Giants AFLW players.
"It's been good. If you need anyone, you just walk down the hall," Pease smiled.
"It will help because everyone is going to get to know each other a bit better. We can bond a bit more and do things outside of footy as well, outside of training we can go for walks and stuff like that together.
"[Pre-season] has been really good. All the girls get around, especially in those tough sessions. The intensity and everything - we've never been exposed to it at that level.
"The first few weeks were challenging but once you get into a rhythm, it's really good and really fun."
The Giants plucked Evans and Pease straight out of the AFL Canberra competition in last year's AFLW draft.
They're now living together in Sydney with former Melbourne Demons defender Katherine Smith, with 18-year-old Evans grateful to have a familiar face in camp.
"It's been great having Em there, getting to go home and chat about different things - we're relying on each other," Evans said.
"Our housemate Katherine, she's been a bit of an influence on me. We'll come home and go through information. Everyone has been really welcoming and helpful, trying to get everyone one the same page."
The Giants will return to Canberra in 2021 to play a double-header with their men's and women's teams at Manuka Oval on Saturday, March 6.
They'll host the Gold Coast Suns in the AFLW, with Pease eager to play in front of her home fans come round six.
"It would be crazy [to play at Manuka]. Just to show how far we've come," Pease said.
"It hasn't been that long of a period but it would be amazing to show off to our local crowd - yet there's a lot of work that has to happen before then. We'll see what happens."
The Giants will open their season against the Fremantle Dockers in late January.
Lucie Bertoldo
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
