GWS Giants star Tarni Evans puts cherry on top of career-best AFLW season

At a ceremony in Sydney on Friday night, Evans claimed the club's goal of the year gong, and finished third in the best-and-fairest vote.

The 20-year-old tallied 68 votes, narrowly behind Georgia Garnett (69 votes) and now four-time winner of the Gabrielle Trainor Medal, Alyce Parker (99 votes).

Evans, who moved from Tathra to the capital as a teenager, was a weapon at halfback for the Giants in season seven.

After injury hampered her last season, under new coach Cameron Bernasconi, Evans doubled almost every single stat line since her debut in season five of the AFLW in 2021.

She averaged an impressive 14.7 disposals and also scored her first goal in the AFLW.

And it was an absolute cracker, bombed from outside 50m to sail through the posts at Henson Park with ease.

"She'll play a really integral part of the Giants moving forward," Bernasconi said of the 1.8 metre-tall defender.

"Tarni has had a fantastic year, and she's bought into our new philosophy on where we want to go as a footy program, which is about enjoying working hard and bringing our strengths.

"Her strengths are her foot skills and athleticism and she showcased that with her ability to create some drive off halfback."

Evans' influence is no more evident than in the stat the Giants led the AFLW in, as the best team at moving the ball from their defensive 50m to their forward 50m.

Other AFL Canberra stars turned Giants were also instrumental in GWS making those strides in the search for more points this season.

"It's great to see the Canberra players play important roles," Bernasconi said.

"Defenders Tarni and Emily Pease [Belconnen Magpies] were rewarded with Rising Star nominations, Cambridge McCormick drafted from Eastlake played every game in the ruck, midfielder Tess Cattle from Ainslie made her debut and Jodie Hicks was terrific in a new defensive role.

"So there's a number of Canberra girls that are playing a huge part for us at the moment."

After playing two seasons in one year, Giants players will now have a break for a few months before kickstarting their individual off-season training schedules in January.

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