The club’s top draft pick has impressed during her first pre-season and will make the trip north to take on two-time grand finalists Brisbane on Sunday.

Parker has been able to settle into life as an AFLW footballer, but it wasn’t without its challenges.

The Holbrook export is the youngest on the Giants’ list and found the transition from the family farm to the hustle and bustle of Sydney quite difficult.

After a hectic finish to 2018 - which saw her sit a HSC exam hours after being drafted to the Giants, Parker was then thrust into an unfamiliar environment.

But she’s now glad to call her new club a family.

“It probably took two or three weeks for me to settle into a completely new environment,” Parker said.

“Moving to the Giants, they made that transition very easy compared to what it could have been.

“It’s been challenging, but it all starts now and the spike of it is here.

“In terms of the training, it was pretty easy to adjust to the eliteness of the competition, but getting used to the environment was definitely my challenge.”

Parker admitted the culture of the club provided a layer of comfort.

“Coming in as the youngest by more 12 months and the only the 18-year-old coming out of the draft was very daunting, but immediately from the first session I felt part of the family,” she said.

“The inclusive nature of the girls is pretty special.

“I was actually really lucky because I knew pretty much all of them except for three or four I hadn’t met.

“Especially with Alicia Eva and Nicola Barr who coached me last year and have now become my teammates, it was pretty special and I couldn’t have gone to a better club.

“It makes the journey for someone like me that has come from the country and just out of school a pretty special one and something I’ll never forget.”

Giants coach Alan McConnell has been pleased with the way Parker has handled the situation.

“She’s very family-orientated and loves the farm life,” McConnell said.

“Whilst she’s in Sydney chasing her dream, it’s not been easy for her, particularly up until Christmas.

“There was a lot of homesickness and issues around settling in, but each week since Christmas I’ve seen her become more and more comfortable in the environment and more integrated into the group.”

McConnell added he has high hopes for the talented youngster.

“We think she’s going to be a really good player for us for a very long time,” he said.

“I think once games have started, the ability to do what she does instinctively has really come to the fore.

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“She’s very good around the contest and the ability to turn on her left foot is always an advantage for players.

“She’ll mostly play midfield, but she has the ability to play back also.

“She naturally finds herself rolling back behind the ball a little bit, so I think as she settles in she’ll play a bit behind the ball and little bit around the middle.”

McConnell also praised the elite junior pathway which Parker and so many of this year’s AFLW draftees have been through.

“Not only the girls we’ve added to our list this year, we’ve also had girls from the NAB Academy train with us over summer and I’ve been blown away by the quality, both that we’ve added to the list and also the ones that are coming,” he said.

“The competition is certainly going to need that, but I think the girls that came and trained with us on and off during the pre-season really indicate that the pathway is doing some great stuff in terms of what’s coming in the future.