2023 draftee Taya Oliver will become the Gold Coast SUNS’ fifth AFLW debutant of the season on Wednesday night in Frankston.
The news was broken to Oliver by Head Coach Cameron Joyce, confirming she would be named in the SUNS side for its first ever AFLW meeting with Hawthorn at Kinetic Stadium.
Joyce says the ability to deploy Oliver in positions right across the ground could prove to be a useful weapon for his side.
“Taya’s persistence and dedication has been immense and she’s worked incredibly hard to get into this position and earn her chance to debut on Wednesday,” Joyce said.
“Since joining the club, Taya has trained in several different positions because she adds real versatility to our side. We’re looking forward to seeing her utilise those strengths in hopefully many AFLW games to come for the club.”
Oliver joined the club with Pick 44 in the 2023 AFLW Draft as a relative newcomer to Aussie Rules having played her first season in 2021 with QAFLW outfit Coorparoo.
The 22-year-old boasts an impressive resume, finishing in the Top 5 of the 2023 QAFLW Best & Fairest and being named in the QAFLW Team of the Year after also representing Queensland earlier that year.
The SUNS will finalise its team to face the Hawks on Tuesday evening.
Taya Oliver #44
DOB: 17/10/01
Height: 173cm
Home State: Victoria
Senior Club: Coorparoo
Position: Forward
Nickname: Tay
Name Pronunciation: Tay-yah Oliver
