Where does she sit in comparison of other AFLW midfielders talent wise? How does VFLW standard translate?
@theDJR is more knowledgeable than me, but her body transformation from VFLW to now is amazing. I looked further up this thread and she looks much more toned and muscled.
She has worked incredibly hard to get to this level.
She’s definitely got a much higher work rate than the normal VFLW girl.
Kicking between VFLW and AFLW is noticeably much more crisp. In VFLW, you get a few flat punts kicked (unless your a gun like Bella) but at AFLW the ball spins like a normal kick.
The skill level is a big jump from when I watched a few AFLW games back in 2019.
Not new. Image from Jan 2022 below.
Since she (and the club) are actively spoiling things with her “yoyo” search above… she won our pre-season 2km.
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I remember one of those Roamin Ryan segments on Instagram, the Honey Badger had a bloody 8 pack!
Absolutely absurd athlete.
Are you sure?
She’s not doing well at dropping the “G”.
Interview was obviously before we lost to Wet Toast.
By Blake Gaffiero
After more than 12 months on the sidelines, Essendon midfielder Georgia Nanscawen is finally ready to ply her trade at AFLW level in 2023.
Nanscawen made history as the Bombers’ first-ever AFLW signing last season, but was forced to watch their inaugural season from afar after suffering a shattering ACL tear in the club’s 2022 VFLW grand final victory.
Speaking on the Chicks Talking Footy podcast, the two-time VFLW Lambert-Pearce medallist said the desire to support her teammates as a leader off the field helped push her through the rehabilitation process.
“When you don’t have to focus so much on your own performance, you can be there a bit more for other people and have some of those tough conversations. When people miss selection or have a rough time, you can offer more support there,” Nanscawen said.
“Being a VFLW co-captain and part of the leadership group for a couple of years, I wanted to bring some of that to the AFLW group.
“It probably wasn’t the way I expected to get to lead, but I just tried to set a good example for not only the other girls in rehab, but the girls on field about resilience and persistence.”
More than a year removed from the knee injury, Nanscawen has returned to full training with the Bombers over the past two months and is back at full fitness with the 2023 season fast approaching.
The excitement of returning to the promising young group has held the former Olympic Hockeyroo in a great headspace throughout the pre-season.
“Physically I’m feeling very good and I got the tick of approval from the surgeon, so from a knee perspective, things are great. I’m just really excited to be finally in amongst the team which was quite a long time coming,” Nanscawen said.
“As much as you want to try to be a part of it, when you’re in rehab it’s quite an isolating space, so to be out with the girls on the field feels really good.
“Round one will no doubt creep up very quickly, it’s just nice to be out there and it’s an exciting time.”
The Bombers enter their second season in the competition looking to build upon the glimpses of potential shown in 2022, with Nanscawen’s experience set to add another string to their bow.
Ahead of the new season, Nanscawen believes the Bombers are ready to take more palpable strides as their development continues.
“We’re still building that foundation and culture that we want to put out there. We’re quite vocal that we weren’t satisfied with last year, you could make the excuse that it was our first year together, but we were disappointed not to be pushing for finals,” Nanscawen said.
“This year we firmly believe we can challenge. Those results will just be an indication of the work we’ve put in through the off-season.
“We know we have a lot of work to do to close that gap (between us and the top sides), and we’re looking forward to seeing what we can do.”
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Essendon midfielder Georgia Nanscawen is on the verge of making a long-awaited AFLW debut for the club after more than 12 months on the sidelines with a knee injury.
Key points:
- The new AFLW season begins on Friday night, in the first of 10 rounds before finals
- Georgia Nanscawen was first picked for Essendon’s inaugural AFLW squad last year but missed the entire season with a knee injury
- The ex-Hockeyroo is now in the mix for a spot in the Bombers’ opening game against Hawthorn
The former Hockeyroo was the first player signed to the Bombers’ AFLW squad but missed their inaugural season after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament during last year’s VFLW grand final.
A valuable leader for Essendon’s young playing group behind the scenes, Olympian Nanscawen had her return to action ticked off by surgeons and has made positive strides in practice matches this month.
Bombers coach Natalie Wood declared Nanscawen’s preparation “fantastic” but stopped short of guaranteeing the 31-year-old a spot in the team to face Hawthorn in their season-opener on Saturday night.
“It’s been no surprise that she’s attacked her rehab so diligently, and her form in the practice matches has been as expected,” Wood said of the player who featured for North Melbourne in their 2019 AFLW campaign.
"She was pretty nervous getting back out there. She’s really going to add to our midfield depth and our ability to put more pressure on the ball.
"We’re really looking forward to what she brings.”
Pressed on whether Nanscawen will play against the Hawks in round one, Wood opted for a straight bat.
Georgia Nanscawen (on ground) played 205 games for the Hockeyroos, including the 2012 Olympics in London.(Getty Images: Daniel Berehulak)
“We’ve got training this week and match selection hasn’t occurred yet,” she said.
Essendon were the best-performing of last season’s four expansion sides, finishing 10th with a 4-6 record, and have high hopes for the new campaign.
But Wood is first focused on building consistency in her side’s performances.
“We had patches in games (last year) where we really got on the same page and rallied around and were really strong in the contest, but then equally we could drop off,” Wood said.
"Being in our second year, we really want to build on what we’ve started and a big part of that is building who we are.
"It’s an important year to really start to establish the culture.”
The AFLW season will begin the first of 10 rounds on Friday night with defending premiers Melbourne hosting Collingwood at Princes Park.
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I think enough time has passed, and that we’re close enough to round one, that my source - who occasionally spies on this forum - won’t mind if I reveal the following publicly.
Back when the first 2km time trial was held for this pre-season, the Top Four finishers were…
4th. Mia Busch
3rd. Jo Doonan
2nd. Steph Cain
1st. GEORGIA FRICKIN’ NANSCAWEN!!!
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Time for a thread bump. First time I’ve seen her play AFLW and she was fantastic! Her and Maddy in the middle as a 1/2 punch in there was very impressive. Welcome back Georgia!!
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Remember when the word “exponential” was cool? Her form from intraclub to practice matches to round one has been exactly that. Probably partially helped in this case by the Hawks midfield having no size.
It will be interesting to see what role she plays — in this game, she basically backed herself to win every contested ball and had only four tackles recorded. In the West Coast game she got a bit more outside and when she does that she has decent pace. Her kicking continues to improve.
The two key thing about this match was her speed and cleanliness by hand and foot, and her Honey Badger-ness.
- She was more inside than Prespakis but smashed her on efficiency (67% vs 45%).
- Her clearance stats wouldn’t include her Michael Long-style taps to advantage.
- There were a couple “minor” moments on the far-left-of-screen flank that screamed out to me. First, the deliberate and insanely fast dribble kick to get under two converging opponents; that gets smothered, or you get tackled, by near anyone else. And that sequence where she just willed herself to three contests in a row, coming from behind each time but having the burst speed and sheer determination to be the first there. Honey Badger don’t care if you have superior position; Honey Badger gonna win that contest anyway.
P.S. Now I’ve convinced myself my votes were rubbish. Luckily most of you disagreed 
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Evidence of having competed in a ball sport at elite level. Reflexes, instincts, quick decisions, competitiveness, 2nd efforts, hardness, smarts…
Gun
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Botch, or her tackles and clearances are now upgraded to the same as Prespakis. They both had 14 effective disposals.
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Thought these were so clever. Don’t get pinged for taking it in and then being prevented from disposing by a ‘tackler’.
Should do more of it in the men’s game.
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Coaches would be scared that tapping it into the clear might give the opposition a free run at the ball. Keep it congested.
Not good coaches… get the ball to space and trust your runners.
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Wholesome as ■■■■.
By Blake Gaffiero
After more than 426 days on the sidelines, Georgia Nanscawen’s AFLW debut showed the Essendon faithful exactly what they’d been missing out on.
Returning for a first competitive outing since tearing her ACL in 2022’s VFLW Grand Final victory, the former Hockeyroo was a prime mover in the Bombers’ 19-point win over the Hawks on Saturday night.
Nanscawen finished with 18 contested possessions and seven clearances, driving the Bombers’ engine room with a strong in-and-under performance.
Speaking post-game, the 31-year-old cited opening the season with a win as the perfect reward for a long road back to the highest level.
After being sidelined for a full season Georgia Nanscawen talks to us following her first game in the sash.
“There was a big build-up to it, and as we all know it’s been a long time coming. You think of the ‘what if’s’ and what’s going to happen, (but) you get out there and it’s just football,” Nanscawen said.
“It was a lot of fun tonight, I’m just glad we got the win and had a great game. It’s a great stepping stone to move forward for the season.
“Tonight was a really special experience and to cap it off with a win is more than I could ask for.”
The Bombers’ inaugural AFLW signing back in 2022, Nanscawen’s knee injury forced her to watch from afar throughout the club’s first season in the competition.
Despite staying upbeat for her teammates, the absence provided healthy motivation for the midfielder to make the most of every moment in her comeback.
“Obviously it’s been a long and emotional journey. As excited as you are for the group, it was hard watching them run out (last year),” Nanscawen said.
“I just want to take my opportunity, certainly not take anything for granted and enjoy every moment I can be out there.”
The Bombers anticipated a tight contest with the Hawks, with the fixture already establishing itself as a marquee early in each club’s AFLW tenure.
For Nanscawen, it was the Bombers’ ability to return to basics and hold firm in the contest which allowed them to break the second half open.
“We knew it was going to be hot from the start. We’ve only played two games against each other but there’s already a huge rivalry, and we came out well (in the first quarter),” Nanscawen said.
“We’d spoken about slow starts and we wanted to be on the front foot early.
“We were able to turn it around and start winning the ball at the source again, which is what got us in a good position in the first quarter. Going in hard set us up well for the game.”
A significant occasion looms as the Bombers prepare for their first home game at Windy Hill this Sunday, taking on St Kilda.
The matchup marks the return of AFL-level competition to the ground for the first time in more than 30 years, and Nanscawen is excited to see the Bombers faithful on show.
“It was sad not to have a home ground that we could call our own last year, so to be at Windy Hill is going to be another big step in the history of the footy club,” Nanscawen said.
“Hopefully we can get as big a turnout as there was tonight, we’ll be looking to continue that winning form.
“It’s going to be a special moment.”
The Bombers and Saints’ Windy Hill clash kicks off at 3:05pm this Sunday, September 10.
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Reminder: she chose not to nominate for the 2022 AFLW draft, and instead waited for us to arrive.
Cost herself two AFLW seasons, but made herself a back-to-back VFLW B&F and a premiership captain 
That tells you how much she disliked AFLW Norf, and loved our VFLW team.
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13 minute feature on “Pip”
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