Friday night footy will be back sooner than expected in the capital, with the GWS Giants women set to host Carlton at Manuka Oval on February 25.
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The match will kickstart a busy year for the Giants in Canberra, which is also set to include three regular season men's games and a preseason fixture through the last year of their decade-long deal to play in the capital.
An extension to that deal with the ACT government is yet to be announced, but is believed to be in advanced negotiations.
February's Carlton clash will mark the second time GWS has hosted an AFLW match in Canberra - the Giants thrashed Geelong in the final round of the 2019 season.
"It's pretty amazing really, especially doing all my junior footy in Canberra, it kind of proves to the younger girls that they can go from Canberra footy up to the big leagues," Giants youngster and Belconnen Magpies junior Emily Pease said.
"It'll also be great as a Friday night game, a bit of a different feel to a Saturday so hopefully people will get around that."
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Pease was drafted to the Giants before the 2021 season, and is eyeing off an AFLW debut in 2022.
The Giants' women's squad resumed preseason training in October after Australia slowly emerged from lockdown, aiming to improve on this year's ninth-placed finish.
"I've had a good preseason so far, so hopefully if I continue along that and I can get a couple of games this year - being able to play in front of a home crowd would be pretty awesome," Pease said.
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
