There is no harder task in football than returning to a Grand Final having lost the previous year. For the South East London Giants women’s team, overcoming this challenge was the ultimate goal throughout the season and finals series. Suffering a tumultuous start to the year, the squad quickly learned why the task ahead of them was so difficult.
Having come so close to glory in 2023 and recruiting so well in the off-season, the weight of expectation nearly cut the team’s hopes and dreams off at the knees. But, as has been the case for several years now, this squad’s exceptional mental fortitude was enough to carry it forward, spurred on by its leaders Susie Carr, Molly Tomsen, Alex Stephens, Emma Brookes and Claudia Just.
And so the season came and went, followed by elimination and preliminary finals, and the Giants were back where they so desperately wanted to be. Another chance at glory. Another chance to beat the London Swans in a Grand Final. With the men having secured the club’s first ever Grand Final victory earlier in the morning, the women had it all to do to continue the winning ways and right themselves into the history books.
Although the celebrations for the lads were well underway, the women weren’t distracted from the task at hand. To nobody’s surprise, the match was a dogfight. Fast, physical and unrelenting. The Swans capitalised on an early opportunity to draw first blood but the Giants responded, arresting the momentum and steadying the ship into quarter time.
The second term was better, an arm wrestle atypical of each meeting between the two fearsome sides. Lucy Massie, Saskia Taylor-Doyle and Freya Hibberd led from the front, keeping the Swans at bay while generating chances for the Giants. At the main break, one goal was all that separated the two clubs.
Famously, the third quarter is known as the ‘premiership quarter’ - often playing the biggest role in determining the outcome of a match. The women didn’t need to look far for inspiration, with the lads having won their respective Grand Final off the back of a dominant third quarter earlier in the day.
Rolling the dice and throwing the team into all-out attack mode, the likes of Ruby, Janis and Hyner threatened to break the game open.
Unfortunately, the Swans superb halfback line proved once again why they are the competition’s benchmark, repelling every attack from the Orange and Black and turning defence into offence. Subsequently, the Swans took the choccies in the third.
The final quarter saw the Giants truly awaken, playing the brand of footy that had seen them dominate the latter half of the season and preceding finals. Alex Stephens put through the first goal of the day to draw the margin within three kicks, and all the momentum was with the women of the South East. But it wasn’t to be. In the end, it was too little, too late, and the Swans couldn’t be denied. Having set themselves up for success in the third, even a late onslaught from the Giants wasn’t enough.
And so, the Giants found themselves once again in the agonising position of having made it to the big dance but falling just short. But with a renewed sense of unity within the squad, and an improved performance compared to last year, there should be nothing but optimism when looking to the future.
The women's team will be back and they will be ready.
Although the women will be dissatisfied with their result, they should feel nothing but pride for the way they went about the season. Coming together and earning their way into the final match of the year, and doing so by playing their own brand of footy and embodying a team first mentality, should be commended.
They should also be thanked for their broader club-first mentality, embracing the lads’ success and joining the celebrations in such good spirits.
For those leaving us, you’ve left a mark on the club that won’t soon be forgotten and will be truly, truly missed. For those returning, I hope you’re ready to go one better - UTFG!
Swans: 3.4 22
Giants: 1.2 8
Goals: Steve
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