Grade six students at Saint Clare of Assisi Primary School in Conder had some special guests at their school on Friday: GIANTS AFLW players.
Giants AFLW vice-captain Katherine Smith, alongside her teammates Sara Howley and Madi Brazendale, took part in activities with students on 27 June as part of GWS’s community camp in Canberra.
One of the students who attended the session is 11-year-old Jade Merriman.
“I think that’s really cool. It’s a good opportunity that my school gets to do that,” she told CD.
Jade is a superstar football player in her own right; she was selected to represent the ACT in the 12&U Girls Australian Football Team at the School Sport Australia 12&U Australian Football Championship in Queensland in August; it’s her second year representing the territory.
She also plays for the Tuggeranong Valley Australian Football Netball Club.
Smith told CD the club has visited the nation’s capital for the camps for several years. She joined GWS in 2021.
“As long as I’ve been here (in GWS), we’ve been community camping in Canberra, so it’s always very familiar and it’s really nice, that local home feeling to be around in Canberra,” she said.
She said this year’s trip to Canberra included visiting local clubs on Thursday night, 26 June, and school visits the following day.
Smith said she loved playing at Canberra’s Manuka Oval.
“I think the oval itself, it’s a great deck, it’s a really good surface,” she said.
“There’s obviously a lot of Giants supporters in the crowd, which makes it easy for us because we get the momentum.
“Whereas, if you go down and play in Melbourne and play against the other team, they’ve kind of got their momentum.”
She said playing at Manuka also gave the team a home advantage.
“The way that the oval allows us to play our football the way that we want to is a really good advantage for us,” she said.
GWS finished 16th on the ladder in the 2024 season.
“Obviously last year was a disappointing season, there’s no shying away from that. But I think this year is really important that we win more games than we lose,” Smith said.
“And, hopefully that means we’ll get into the top eight.
“I think there’s every ambition to do, so it’s really exciting.”
GWS at Manuka Oval:
AFLW Giants v Essendon, Saturday 16 August, 5:35pm
AFLW Giants v Bulldogs, Saturday 13 September, 4:35pm
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