Orange despair
An open letter to the GWS GIANTS: what happened to your AFLW program?
A while back I wrote something called “Orange hope”. It was a story about how the Giants women’s team gave me hope, at the end of 2021, when the 2022 season was about to start.
Since that season, the Giants women have played 46 games and have won 11. Less than a quarter. If we take only the last two seasons into account, plus the four games of this season played thus far, that winning percentage falls to 12%. 3 wins of 25 games.
I have been at most of these games. To say I am worn down is an understatement. I won’t add up the money I have spent travelling to games in places like Melbourne, Mildura and Mackay - I am always happy to spend the money - it’s the emotional investment that takes a toll.
It is also the deep sense of disappointment.
I began following the Giants for a simple reason: they invested in women. I was a Sydney Swans member, and they did not bother bidding for one of the first AFLW licences, so I turned orange. I became a Giants AFLW Foundation member and since then my commitment has been steadfast.
Until now.
What I see now is a club that has neglected its women’s program to the point where it is impossible to see them winning a game this season.
Yesterday I flew to the Gold Coast for the game, despite the men playing an Elimination Final in Sydney, because I thought it was important to support the women. The opposition sat below them on the table and to be honest, I thought this was probably their best chance of a win this season and I wanted to be there.
What I saw play out was the culmination of all those games counted above: a team looking lost, with no confidence, confused. They would get the ball into the forward 50 and no one wanted to take a shot on goal. No one wanted to take responsibility. They seemed to be following their instructions carefully. Some players seemed to watch, not getting involved, not committing. Were they afraid to make a mistake? Did they not know what to do?
I am not an elite coach, I am not even a competent Australian Football coach, but I am a fan, and I expect more of my team. More specifically, I expect more of the club who so loudly have told us they were the ‘first’ AFLW team in NSW but have allowed the opposition to overrun them, within a couple of seasons. Without fans, there is no game. There is no ‘business’.
I’ve heard all the explanations. I’ve heard excuses. I’ve given them time. Now I have questions.
I know I am not the only one thinking these things. I am not the only one bitterly disappointed about what has become of this program, and how the club seems to neglect it and the women who have given so much. Previous Giants players have told me of their anger and despair. Players from other clubs can’t understand what is happening.
So, this is an open letter to the Giants, from me and all those who care about this program. We’ve had enough.
Dear GWS GIANTS,
I wish to express my concern at the state of the women’s program. I am a Foundation AFLW member. I have put a lot of time, energy (and money) into supporting the program. I care deeply for the players and understand how difficult it is for them, (and the club), to operate in a non-football market such as Sydney, particularly as women. I wrote a book about it.
I am concerned that there are no outward signs of change. A declining win ratio, combined with a confusing recruitment approach, is alarming to those of us who turn up, watch the games and do everything we can to encourage support amongst Giants members.
Why did the club choose to lose so much experience? It’s galling to watch players be delisted, only to go to other clubs - like the Swans - and be picked in high performing teams. The legacy and knowledge of prior players could have been harnessed in the coaching ranks, but there are now several ex-Giants coaching, successfully in other AFLW programs.
What does the club expect of coaches in the women’s program? How is their performance measured? When are they held to account for performances? This is not just a few games, there is a consistent pattern of under-achievement over three seasons, with a fourth season looking grim.
Is the Head of AFLW role full time? That is: is it focused FULL TIME on the women’s program? If it is, why does the incumbent work across the men’s and women’s programs? Why was she holding up interchange signs at the men’s game yesterday, and not on the Gold Coast? Does the program not deserve a role that is allowed to give it full attention?
Does the club – from the top down – care about the program? If so, why does it appear that they are willing to accept mediocrity, or worse? I doubt very much this would be the same in the men’s program.
As a dedicated supporter of this team, I am no longer willing to accept mediocrity. It’s not good enough to merely have a women’s team. As an inaugural W club, we should be in a better position. I hate to admit it publicly, but it’s incredibly galling to watch Sydney move ahead, while we continue to languish.
I understand the context of AFLW in Sydney, only too well. I am, however, sick of hearing excuses. If you want the game – and the support of the Giants – to grow here, something has to change soon.
As an invested member, I would like to see a review of the entire program, by an external body. As it stands, it looks to those outside Giants HQ, that the club is happy to run the women’s program as a minor sideshow to the high performance-focused main event of the men’s program.
That’s not why I turned to the orange side. I got on board because you invested in women.
What happened?
Kind regards
Georgina Hibberd