THEY'RE the two exciting talls coming out of Gold Coast's much vaunted academy crop this year, and they've played a lot of footy together.

Georja Davies and Dekota Baron are widely considered among the best talent in the country ahead of December's Telstra AFLW Draft, and with ties to the Suns, there are plenty of other clubs closely watching just how Gold Coast will ensure they nab both, along with Sunny Lappin – who officially nominated the Suns in October – Ava Usher, and Alannah Welsh.

Davies (pronounced 'Davis') is largely a tall utility. At 185cm she has spent a lot of her junior career playing in the ruck, but is also a serious asset both behind and ahead of the ball. Baron is a freight train of a key forward, who leaps at the footy without fear.

Together they've been part of back-to-back premierships with the Southport Sharks in the QAFLW, and have been standouts in Queensland's Marsh U18 National Championships team. Being part of such solid programs has encouraged the pair to challenge themselves to be better. And now they're hitting their best form at exactly the right time.

But they're trying not to buy into any of the external noise – whether good or bad.

"I feel like I've always had high expectations for myself, so I feel like the self-confidence and what I believe in myself kind of overpowers anything anyone could ever say about me," Davies told AFL.com.au.

"So, I try not to listen to the outside noise too much, and just remember that self-belief is stronger than anything that someone could say."

Davies has had high performance behaviours instilled in her from a young age. With athletic parents, and three older sisters – Giselle, Fleur, and Darcie – already at AFLW clubs, hard work comes naturally to her.

Baron is a little more lighthearted about the high expectations of her come draft night.

"I don't really read too much into it surrounding anything that's said, I guess, on how good or bad I play over games because it's kind of funny in a way, I know who I am. I'm sort of just a happy go lucky person, so when I head stuff about myself, I'm just laughing at it in a way, because it's like 'There's no way you think that about me'," Baron laughed.

Although tied to Gold Coast via that academy program, Baron's allegiances do lie with its cross-town rival. Having grown up a Brisbane diehard, and as a big Josh Dunkley fan, she has mixed feelings about future QClashes.

"(Playing for Brisbane has) been a childhood dream for me. My nan, she's a real big fan of the Lions and she's backed them for so long," Baron admitted.

"A lot of people know that I go for the Lions, but I'm actually in the Suns Academy and will maybe play for the Suns. It's a bit funny because they're obviously the biggest rival in Queensland."

Both have dealt with their own injury concerns this year. Baron missed a patch of footy as she managed knee and finger injuries following the 2024 QAFLW premiership, but she was able to get back on the footy field for three of Queensland's four championships games.

"With the injuries, even though they are so annoying, and you have to go through rehab and just all the little things to do outside of training, they are something that also makes you stronger," Baron explained.

"So, I think going through them has probably made me a more resilient player."

Davies, meanwhile, almost missed going back-to-back with the Sharks after a mishap at home severed her toe.

"I was tanning at home, I was in my bikini, I had no shoes on or anything, and my dad asked me to help him carry something," Davies explained.\

"And Darcie was next to me, I was like 'Why can't you ask her? She's stronger than me, I'm not carrying a glass panel'. Anyway, being the younger sister, I just had to do it anyway. So, lessons learned.

"My dad didn't have any sons, so I'm stuck doing the manual work."

The panel shattered, and a piece cut a tendon in Davies' toe, but she shook it off to play the Grand Final the following week.

"It's there now. It's half functioning, it lags behind," Davies chuckled.

For now, they're trying not to think too much about the draft. What will come, will come.

"There's many girls in past draft years where it's literally been last minute changes. So, I think not hoping too much and being stuck on one place, and just making sure that you don't restrict your mind to that one place, because you could end up being really disappointed," Davies said.