As the second home ground of the GWS Giants, Manuka Oval has been established as a fortress for the competition’s youngest club, especially in the past three seasons. Located in the Canberra suburb of Griffith, the ground owes its name to the Maori name for the tea tree, of which there are plenty in the area.
Formerly known by its sponsor name Startrack Oval, and currently named UNSW Canberra Oval, there is a long history of sport being played at Manuka. The ground was enclosed in 1929 with a fence, which can be thought as the proper beginning of Manuka Oval. Since then, the ground has seen several constructions. The largest grandstand, the Bradman Pavilion, was constructed in 1962. While the Oval’s two other stands were built in 1987 and 1992, and named the Robert Menzies and Bob Hawke stands, fittingly for Canberra. Recent redevelopments have seen the introduction of floodlights and an increase of ground capacity, which now sits at 16,000.
With dimensions of 167.5 metres long by 138.2 metres wide (fence to fence), the playing field is by no means small, despite the fact that Manuka has one of the lowest ground capacities in the AFL. The record attendance of 14,974 occurred in 2016, when the Giants flogged Richmond by a whopping 88 points. However, Manuka Oval has not always been the Giants stamping ground, with many AFL clubs playing home games in Canberra before GWS entered the competition. North Melbourne in particular have a connection to Manuka, taking home games there from 1998-2006.
However, with three games a season at the ground, the Giants will now feel like the stadium is theirs. Well adjusted to the stadiums’ propensity to throw up a swirling wind, as well as the unique atmosphere, GWS have not lost at Manuka Oval since mid-2015.
