You can count on one hand the number of Goulburn Valley products heading into AFLW finals this month.

The home and away season has wrapped up with 18 teams whittled down to eight, and though Echuca’s Annabel Johnson (West Coast) and former Shepparton United junior Keeley Skepper (Carlton) have qualified, both were omitted for round 12.

It leaves one name flying the region’s flag high as the chief export advancing into finals: Georgia Gall.

Hailing from Euroa, Gall is part of a strong Melbourne side that finished off the regular season in second after defeating another pair of GV stars on Saturday.

She recorded eight disposals during the Demons’ 14-point win over Geelong, which featured Benalla’s Becky Webster and Moama’s Alexis Gregor.

The Cats ended well out of the finals race in 13th, with another GV local - injured Kyabramite Julia Crockett-Grills - also set to skip the post-season action alongside Mansfield’s Bonnie Toogood and her 14th-placed Essendon outfit.

That leaves Gall.

Melbourne missed out on finals last year by just two points, but after storming to a 9-3 record in 2025, the Euroa export said the Demons’ resurgence is no accident.

“Keeping pretty injury-free this year has been a big win for us,” she said.

“Last year, we got caught with a few injuries and things but I think having good momentum coming into finals is really important for us.

“We’ve all put in a lot of work over the off-season, so I don’t think it’s by chance that we’re in this position.

“We had a big goal in mind in the pre-season and we’ve really worked hard to get to this spot and be consistent with the way that we play.”

Gall has featured in nine of Melbourne’s 12 matches this season, overcoming a couple of light knocks to establish herself in a star-studded Demons’ forward line.

The 21-year-old was recently named in the AFL Players’ Association’s 22Under22 squad, and with six goals to her name this season, the Euroa starlet is learning from the likes of established AFLW stars such as Tayla Harris and Kate Hore.

“We’re really lucky in a sense that we have so many key forwards in our teams that are a bit older and experienced,” she said.

“Especially Tayla (Harris), she’s really helped me throughout the last few years and is always looking for ways to help me improve.

“Whether that’s going through vision, watching the game together or even the on-field instruction as well, it’s definitely helped fast track my development.”

Similar to many AFLW players, Gall is a dual-code star.

She was and is a skilled cricketer, signed by Melbourne Stars in the Women’s Big Bash League, but has been steadily beating the path of football since being drafted in 2022.

Gall made her AFLW debut in round nine of 2023 and since then, has witnessed a steady incline in the game’s popularity and professionalism.

“It’s definitely become a lot more professional and full-time than it previously was,” she said.

“Obviously now we’re playing a few more games as well, and there seems to be more people coming to games which is exciting.

“But I think there is still room for it to grow, and to expand on the games and get more advertisement for people to come down and watch.

“I think it’s only going to get better as the game improves - that’s a bit part of it as well.”

Melbourne’s chance to put on a show arrives on Sunday, when it welcomes Brisbane Lions to IKON Park in a qualifying final.

The Demons have already banked a double chance, but after losing to the Lions by nine points a fortnight ago, Gall is expecting an all-guns-blazing affair from the bounce.

“I think it’s going to be an exciting game; Brisbane is a very high-pressure team and they work really hard.

“I think it helps this week having a home final; a couple of weeks ago we went up to Brisbane and they got the better of us.

“I think we’ll be super competitive coming into this game, and if we play our game style and are consistent across all four quarters, I think we can win the game.”

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Sunday, 30th January 2028

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