AFLW Round 4 – Giants v Adelaide: A New Icon is Born – Pepa Burrito

It’s been a dry old summer in Sydney – even old salts in my street have said they’ve seen nothing like for for 30 years or so. Sprinklers being dragged out of sheds, trying desperately to save trees and grass.

 

However, there needs to be a new motto in Sydney. If you want it to rain, schedule an AFLW match. It meant that the crowd were almost all in the grandstand, aside from a few hardy souls willing to stand on the unprotected hill.

 

 

It was a pity that the rain couldn’t wait for a day, for it spoilt the chance to see some of the more open play style the Giants have been working on, with some success, especially in the Collingwood game the week before. Though, Adelaide putting a tagger on Courtney Gum also helped to shut down some of the movement she has brought to the side’s gameplan.

 

This was dubbed by some commentators as the game of the round, and that was a good call, for this is a vastly different Giants side from that which ran around in the first season – especially in defence and the midfield. Alicia Eva has brought silky ball magnet skills to the midfield, along with Gum bringing grunt in stoppages and intercepts. The all-round strength and instincts of Renee Forth have also added quality. Pepa Randall has also showed excellent lockdown defending ability, keeping Erin Phillips quiet for the day – quite the achievement. These new signings have added to the potential shown last year, and players from that first group, particularly Jess Dal Pos and Amanda Farrugia, have continued their hard work getting the ball forward.

 

Up forward, Cora Staunton’s Gaelic football hardness and footwork are starting to show their worth in this form of the game. On this occasion, one particular first, second and third effort play standing out in almost bringing a goal at a crucial time. Cora is showing herself to be the missing link to help the likes of Beeson, Schmidt and McWilliams push for goals, making them look more likely to get chances than the team was this time last season.

 

Most of that, though, was not hugely relevant for a game dominated by a slippery ball and ground. This was a tough, grinding, stoppages battle where a few superior kicks and marks was all that was needed to have one team dominating the other. The Giants were, on balance, the better side for much of the game, except in the last quarter, where the Crows were getting as much flow as the conditions allowed. It’s a big tick for the spirit of the G Dubs that they were able to repel the constant attacks on the goal and get a draw.

 

Also a big tick for the spirit of the G Dubs is the birth of a new iconic moment. Pepa Randall is a new recruit for the Giants, someone already known for her almost mullet style hair – she told me at the fan day held the day before the game that she is getting ribbed on field for it.  For this moment, however, Randall had her hair up in a towel during the post match interview conducted by Alison Zell for Giants TV.

 

During the interview, she was clearly was keen on eating the freshly made burrito in her hand, so she decided to eat it during the interview.  Something rarely seen in post match interviews.

 

This look says “I know I shouldn’t be doing it, but I’m starving”.

Photo: Giants TV

 

And so an iconic Giants moment is born – thanks to Pepa “Burrito” Randall.