AFLW: GWS Giants duo Emily Pease and Tarni Evans add 'special' chapter to footy journey

The GWS Giants pair are beaming ahead of their round two clash against the Brisbane Lions in what will mark a momentous homecoming on numerous fronts.

It's the first time the Giants will play their opening home game of the season at Manuka Oval, Cameron Bernasconi is also coaching his first AFLW game in his hometown, and Sunday will be the first time good mates Pease and Evans will play together for GWS in the capital.

"It'll be unreal. I can't wait," Evans told The Canberra Times.

"I feel grateful that I've got her. It's been a journey that we've taken together and it'll be nice to celebrate. I've enjoyed having her next to me for this ride for however many years."

Pease added: "Being able to play in front of a home crowd for both of us will be a really special moment.

"Canberra crowds are more used to us playing against each other."

MORE GIANTS NEWS:

Pease and Evans were drafted by the Giants the same year.

The former was selected from the Belconnen Magpies and the latter from the Queanbeyan Tigers in the AFL Canberra competition. Then in their first year in the AFLW they lived together in Sydney.

It continued a strong sporting friendship the two had developed since they were just eight years old, competing in athletics meets in the region.

"We always had a couple of good battles," Pease said.

"I always took the javelin win and she always took the high jump win, and it's pretty cool seeing the pathways from different sports come together.

"Tarni's leap is amazing so she still uses that in her footy taking great marks.

"With the sprinting and endurance side and knowing how your body moves, athletics has helped both of us with that."

Evans and Pease both said they haven't lost any of the competitive edge that they displayed growing up facing off against each other.

"We're still very competitive people and there are little challenges here and there that we put on each other, but all in good fun," Pease said.

They'll need to bring every bit of that fiery spirit this weekend against an explosive Lions attack that put up a league-leading 76 points to defeat Fremantle in round one.

The Giants are coming off a narrow seven-point defeat in their opener against the Bulldogs in Melbourne and the Canberra contingent are even more motivated to post their first win of the season in front of a home crowd.

"We're all pretty pumped," Evans said. "It's going to be a tough battle, but if we play how we want to this year with the new game plan, we definitely have the opportunity to beat the Lions.

"The Canberra football community is exciting to play in front of and the fans are really pivotal.

"We're probably the underdogs at the moment which is always a good spot to come from."

Pease and Evans are expecting family and old footy mates to cheer them on at Manuka Oval, and both hope that they inspire the next generation of Giants, with Canberra set to continue to be a regular stop under a new ACT partnership.

"Having a game in Canberra is really important because it shows girls that you can go from those junior levels up to AFLW, even from Canberra or a small town in the region," Pease said.

"The growth at the moment is pretty crazy, and it's so exciting to watch."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: