Giants AFLW player Sarah Halvorsen taking year off

The Newcastle 25-year-old was listed among players out of the Giants squad last week when the trade component of the 2021 AFL Women's Sign and Trade Period concluded.

Halvorsen has been part of the GWS squad for the past two AFLW campaigns, making two appearances in each season, but told the Newcastle Herald from Broome in Western Australia last week that she needed a refresh.

She has been travelling around Australia since the end of the AFLW season in April.

"My partner and I both have nine months off work and we're pretty lucky to get that at the same time, so we decided to head off," Halvorsen said.

"We've got a van and headed straight up the middle of Australia and are now working our way down the west coast."

Halvorsen juggled working as an engineer with Port Stephens Council while pursuing her AFLW dream. It involved long hours commuting to Sydney for training and being forced into a hub due to coronavirus in the last campaign.

"It was definitely a big decision to make," Halvorsen said. "There was a lot of toing and froing and it took some time to decide.

"There's a lot of sacrifices to play footy, not just for me but for my partner and my family as well, so I thought a year off would be good to get a bit more perspective and to have a bit of a step away from it.

"The AFLW season was definitely really good. The Giants were awesome with COVID, but it was pretty hectic going into a hub.

"I definitely got a lot out of the year. I'm still obviously learning heaps and it's an experience that I'm grateful for, but I'm not sure what will happen in the future."

Last winter the athletic Novocastrian stayed local and played for her beloved Newcastle City in an abbreviated Black Diamond Cup women's competition and plans to be back in action locally next year.

"I miss playing footy, it's a big part of my life but I'm definitely glad for the chance to do what I'm doing at the moment," Halvorsen said.

"It's not something I get to do very often and sometimes you just need a bit of a break.

"But I definitely miss footy and having a kick around, even just in Newcastle. I'll definitely go back to Newcastle AFL and see what happens from there."

The sixth instalment of AFLW will begin in December and increase from nine rounds to 10 plus three weeks of finals. The decision to bring the season forward, as endorsed by the AFL Commission, will give the women's season its own window, removing any overlap with the men's season as it has in previous years.

The AFL Commission has also endorsed further expansion of the AFLW competition, committing to have all 18 AFL clubs field an AFLW team by the beginning of season eight in 2023.

The four remaining AFL clubs without an AFLW licence are Port Adelaide, Essendon, Hawthorn and Sydney and have until July 9 to submit their applications, but could enter the competition as soon as season seven if deemed ready.

"That will be good for Newcastle because Newcastle is like a feeder for the Swans with a couple of junior players from Newcastle City playing in the development Swans team," Halvorsen said.

Newcastle City player Kate Handley coaches at the Hunter hub of the Swans Academy and welcomed the news that Sydney planned to apply for an AFLW licence for season seven.

"We've got girls in the Hunter who train in the 13s, 15s and 17s Swans Academy and they are 100 per cent on that trajectory to AFLW and by the time 2023 rolls around they're at that perfect age to be included in that team," Handley told the Herald.

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