GWS Giants have selected Bond University ruck Maisy Evans with pick two of the inaugural AFLW Pre-Season Draft, picking up a 185cm tall who has been one of the form players of the early QAFLW season.
Evans, born January 30, 2006 and based in Queensland, was named the Giants' selection on Monday night and arrives in the AFLW with a strong amateur resume but no formal AFL talent pathway background. The Giants framed her as a versatile tall built for the modern ruck role.
The club described her as "a 185cm, versatile ruck who can perform at both the centre square and as a tall target inside 50," with positional flexibility that they expect to develop across pre-season.
GWS noted Evans's background outside the traditional pathway, citing her rugby and netball history before she turned to Australian rules. The Giants categorised her as "a big improver, having developed her skills outside the Victorian talent pathway."
Evans's QAFLW form was a big part of the case for selection. Through the early rounds of the 2026 season for Bond University, she has been averaging "25.7 disposals, 27.7 hit-outs and eight tackles" - numbers that put her among the most productive ruck prospects in the country.
That output is unusual for a ruck of her age and is a marker of the contested-ball strength the Giants want from the position. Her ability to take ruck duty at centre bounces and then pull forward to play as a target inside 50 gives GWS coach Cam Bernasconi an additional structural lever in a side that has been searching for a stable ruck option for several seasons.
The Giants used both their pre-season draft picks on prospects from outside the Victorian system. After Evans, GWS came back in at pick 10 to take Sophia Gaukrodger from the North Shore Bombers and the Giants academy in NSW-ACT, doubling down on local pathway and academy talent.
The pre-season draft was created this year to plug list holes left by pregnancies, injuries, retirements and personal absences ahead of the 2026 season. Several clubs lost senior list players for the entire year, with GWS itself opening a spot following the retirements of Katherine Smith and Claire Ransom.
The draft ran from Monday May 4 across nine clubs and 11 selections, with order set by reverse ladder finish from last season. Gold Coast took Lily Quigley with pick one, while Essendon used pick three on Irish All-Ireland senior champion Emma Dineen.
GWS will integrate Evans into the AFLW pre-season program, which starts league-wide on Monday May 11. The Giants open their 2026 AFLW campaign with the rest of the competition in late August.