AFLW 2023 Awards season

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W Awards
Best & Fairest: Monique Conti (Rich)
Leading Goalkicker: Kate Hore (Melb) & Eden Zanker (Melb)
Rising Star: Zarlie Goldsworthy (GWS)
Mark of the Year: Courtney Hodder (BL)
Goal of the Year: Caitlin Greiser (Rich)
All-Australian Captain: Kate Hore (Melb)

AFLPA
Most Valuable Player: Jasmine Garner (NM)
Best First Year Player: Aishling Moloney (Geel)
Most Courageous Player: Courtney Hodder (BL)
Best Captain: Kate Hore (Melb)

AFLCA
Champion Player of the Year: Jasmine Garner (NM)

Club B&Fs
Adel: Ebony Marinoff
Bris: Ally Anderson
Carl: Breann Moody
Coll: Brittany Bonnici
Ess: Bonnie Toogood
Frem: Angelique Stannett
Geel: Georgie Prespakis
GC: Claudia Whitfort
GWS: Zarlie Goldsworthy
Haw: Emily Bates
Melb: Tyla Hanks & Kate Hore
NM: Jasmine Garner
PA: Abbey Dowrick
Rich: Monique Conti
StK: Jaimee Lambert
Syd: Laura Gardiner
WCE: Charlie Thomas
WB: Ellie Blackburn
 
Last edited:
I'll give a go.

W Awards
Best & Fairest:
Jasmine Garner (North Melbourne)
Leading Goalkicker: Kate Hore & Eden Zanker (Melbourne)
Rising Star: Zarlie Goldsworthy (GWS)
Mark of the Year: Tayla Harris (Melbourne)
Goal of the Year: Alice O'Loughlin (North Melbourne)
All-Australian Captain: Jasmine Garner (North Melbourne)

AFLPA
Most Valuable Player:
Jasmine Garner (North Melbourne)
Best First Year Player: Zarlie Goldsworthy (GWS)
Most Courageous Player: Ash Riddell (North Melbourne)
Best Captain: Chelsea Randall (Adelaide)

AFLCA
Champion Player of the Year:
Jasmine Garner (North Melbourne)

Club B&Fs
Adel:
Danielle Ponter
Bris: Ally Anderson
Carl: Keeley Sherar
Coll: Brianna Davey
Ess: Madison Prespakis
Frem: Aine Tighe
Geel: Georgie Prespakis
GC: Charlie Rowbottom
GWS: Zarlie Goldsworthy
Haw: Emily Bates
Melb: Tyla Hanks
NMFC: Jasmine Garner
PA: Abbey Dowrick
Rich: Monique Conti
StK: Jaimee Lambert
Syd: Laura Gardiner
WCE: Emma Swanson
WB: Ellie Blackburn

I don't pay too much attention to the mark or goal of the year (North generally don't do to well in these awards) so they are just wild guesses, but I did put at least 5 minutes thought into the remainder of my selections. :)
 
Best First Year Player: Zarlie Goldsworthy (GWS)
This is her second year, thus ineligible unless they change the rules/name of the award.

Scholz (PA) plus a bunch of Irish players are probably the main candidates--Kennedy (Syd), McLaughlin (GC), Moloney (Geel), Fitzpatrick (Carl). Nobody else is springing to mind at this moment.

I don't pay too much attention to the mark or goal of the year (North generally don't do to well in these awards) so they are just wild guesses, but I did put at least 5 minutes thought into the remainder of my selections.
Are they predictions, or endorsements?
 

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In a season where scoring increased by 26% and there were heaps more 5-goal hauls than ever before, I wouldna thought 2 goals per game was gonna win a medal (same rate Vescio went at in 2017), yet here we are.

2023 AFLW Leading Goalkicker

Rank​
Player​
Club​
G​
B​
1​
Kate HoreMelbourne
20​
17​
1​
Eden ZankerMelbourne
20​
11​
3​
Caitlin GouldAdelaide
18​
4​
3​
Chloe ScheerGeelong
18​
6​
5​
Dakota DavidsonBrisbane
17​
8​
6​
Gemma HoughtonPort Adelaide
16​
13​
6​
Danielle PonterAdelaide
16​
6​
6​
Tahlia RandallNorth Melb.
16​
12​
6​
Jamie StantonGold Coast
16​
4​
10​
Bonnie ToogoodEssendon
15​
7​
 
Abbey Dowrick – 106
Gemma Houghton – 93
Matilda Scholz – 84
Erin Phillips – 82
Amelie Borg – 72
Ashleigh Saint – 63
Justine Mules – 61
Ebony O’Dea – 58
Ange Foley – 56
Cheyenne Hammond – 53
This was Houghton's highest finish in a club B&F count, having previously managed a 3rd and two 4ths at Fremantle.

It was also Saint's highest finish in a club B&F count, having gone 10th-8th-10th during her time at Adelaide.
 
Charlie Thomas52
Ella Roberts49
Belinda Smith48
Emma Swanson44
Sophie McDonald43
Kellie Gibson31
Dana Hooker30
Bella Lewis28
Aisling McCarthy27
Shanae Davison23

4th and 5th last year become 1st and 2nd this year.

Belinda Smith's previous highest finish was 6th.

I believe this is the first Top 10 finish of Kellie Gibson's career (I only have the final Top 6 for Fremantle 2019, but I know she wasn't in the Top 10 with 2 games remaining, and in 1 of those games she had just 1 disposal).

Sophie McDonald would have to be one of the, let's say, "lowest profile" AFLW players to have consecutive Top 6 placings.
 
1 Zarlie Goldsworthy (119 votes)
2 Alyce Parker (77)
=3 Rebecca Beeson and Tarni Evans (68)
5 Nicola Barr (66)
6 Haneen Zreika (48)
7 Chloe Dalton (47)
=8 Alicia Eva and Katherine Smith (34)
10 Georgia Garnett (29)
Thus ending Parker's streak of B&F wins at 4. But it would've been much closer if she played all 10 games. Goldsworthy 11.9 votes per game, Parker 11 votes per game.

Remaining active club B&F winning streaks:
Conti (5 - 1 at W. Bulldogs, 4 at Richmond)
Blackburn (3)
A. McDonald (3)
Hatchard (2)
Bates (2)
M. Prespakis (2 - 1 at Carlton, 1 at Essendon)
 


Parker didn't make it so Morphett should've missed out too imo. Then they could've given the Swans' third spot to... well there's a few who played 10 games that wouldn't be out of place. And if there had to be another ruck, swap out either Grider for Hickie or Davey for Frederick.

Two selections each to GWS and PA (bottom 4 teams) is also a bit off. Probably got in the way of Geelong getting a 3rd player and Melbourne getting a 5th.
 
AFLPA MVP Nominations

Adelaide: Ebony Marinoff, Anne Hatchard, Niamh Kelly

Brisbane: Ally Anderson, Isabel Dawes, Breanna Koenen

Carlton: Keeley Sherar, Abbie McKay, Breann Moody

Collingwood: Aishling Sheridan, Sabrina Frederick, Brittany Bonnici

Essendon: Bonnie Toogood, Madison Prespakis, Stephanie Wales

Fremantle: Emma O'Driscoll, Aine Tighe, Angelique Stannett

Geelong: Georgie Prespakis, Nina Morrison, Claudia Gunjaca

Gold Coast: Charlie Rowbottom, Claudia Whitfort, Jacqui Dupuy

GWS Giants: Zarlie Goldsworthy, Alyce Parker, Tarni Evans

Hawthorn: Emily Bates, Kaitlyn Ashmore, Jenna Richardson

Melbourne: Tyla Hanks, Kate Hore, Eden Zanker

North Melb.: Jasmine Garner, Emma Kearney, Ashleigh Riddell

Port Adelaide: Abbey Dowrick, Matilda Scholz, Gemma Houghton

Richmond: Monique Conti, Katie Brennan, Eilish Sheerin

St Kilda: Jaimee Lambert, Tyanna Smith, Georgia Patrikios

Sydney: Laura Gardiner, Chloe Molloy, Sofia Hurley

West Coast: Charlie Thomas, Belinda Smith, Ella Roberts

W. Bulldogs: Ellie Blackburn, Elisabeth Georgostathis, Isabelle Pritchard

I'm in lockstep with the players, for a change, with regards to Davey and Morphett having non-award-worthy seasons. Brisbane also did a much better job of recognising their MVPs than the AA selectors.

Cbf checking if this has always been the case, but clearly this year's nominees have been released in order of how well they polled at each club.

Nominees for the other awards to be announced on Monday (day of the W Awards), winners revealed on Tuesday (day after the W Awards).
 
THE TOP 10
Ange Stannett – 154
Emma O’Driscoll – 153
Mim Strom – 123
Aine Tighe – 115
Laura Pugh – 113
Hayley Miller – 109
Orlagh Lally – 108
Dana East – 107
Megan Kauffman – 104
Madi Scanlon – 101
Stannett continues the most underwhelming run of top 6 finishes, league wide. Since 2020 she has gone 5th, 6th, 3rd, 5th and now 1st. It's like... yeah, you don't mind her, but that's the kind of player Best Clubwoman was invented for, not so much Best & Fairest.

That Aine Tighe would've seemingly only finished third on 144 votes, if she played the last 2 games, is a bit of an eyeroller for me. Should've been 50 votes ahead going into round 9.
 

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Thought O’Driscoll was our clear best for the year.
Tighe missed two games and had two very quiet games which would have cost her.
Everybody (Freo supporters anyway) loves the way Stannett plays but the fact she won the F&B is probably a good indication of why we finished 13th.
 


Of the players listed here, 30yo Tanya Kennedy had the best season. But I would always prefer to see this award go to a teenager, first and foremost Matilda Scholz in this instance.

The voters don't entirely share that philosophy though, with Kennedy's old Inner West Magpies teammate 30yo Eilish Sheerin taking out the award last year. 36yo Courtney Gum also finished 2nd in 2018 (the same year she won the MVP).

Oh and I'm also very surprised GC nominated Girvan over McLaughlin--she would've finished top 3 or 4 imo.
 
Weird - no Saints nominee? What was the criteria here...or did we not debut anyone?
Yeah that's right, was always gonna be a weird year for that award given there was only the supplementary draft before the season. No new batch of 18yos, other than Scholz.
 
Niamh Kelly is owed a win in this category since 2021 imo, so to see her miss the nomination in favour of Randall (who's already been lucky in a couple of her 5 wins) grinds my gears.

Ebony O'Dea is another player who should've already won this, so she'd be getting my vote this year.

 
Interesting that Lulu Pullar got North's nomination, but perhaps not unsurprising, I think she has been wonderful for us this season and has been brilliant in the finals, and after reading last week's article from Sarah Black about our underachievers it's nice to see one of them get some recognition.
 
I tipped Hatchard for League B&F this year, which ain't gonna happen with the way she ended the season. Her stablemate is looking in good shape, being the minor premiers' player with the most possessions (i.e. same profile as Anderson last season). Marinoff has also historically polled pretty true so she'll be hard to beat.

I have absolutely no confidence that Jasmine Garner will get particularly close, or even be North's highest vote getter. AFL website has her as the clear winner, but at the same time didn't have Laura Gardiner in their top 10, which casts doubt over its credibility as a simulation.

On the topic of All-Australian captain, it's been a different player every year. And the list of esteemed recipients would suggest Ellie Blackburn is next in line. But that'd be preeeetty unusual for it to go to the captain of the wooden-spooners, so I'm guessing it'll be... Chlonny Mogood.
 

NAB AFLW Rising Star, 2023​

Zarlie Goldsworthy (Greater Western Sydney) – 41
Ally Morphett (Sydney) – 40
Ella Roberts (West Coast) – 23
Matilda Scholz (Port Adelaide) – 13
Jasmine Fleming (Hawthorn) – 7

Nicole Livingstone (Chair)
5 - Zarlie Goldsworthy
4 - Ally Morphett
3 - Ella Roberts
2 - Keeley Skepper
1 - Sofia Hurley

Sarah Black
5 - Zarlie Goldsworthy
4 - Ally Morphett
3 - Ella Roberts
2 - Matilda Scholz
1 - Steph Wales

Jason Bennett
5 - Ally Morphett
4 - Zarlie Goldsworthy
3 - Ella Roberts
2 - Jasmine Fleming
1 - Steph Wales

Andrew Dillon
5 - Zarlie Goldsworthy
4 - Ally Morphett
3 - Ella Roberts
2 - Jasmine Fleming
1 - Matilda Scholz

Katie Loynes
5 - Zarlie Goldsworthy
4 - Ally Morphett
3 - Ella Roberts
2 - Matilda Scholz
1 - Keeley Skepper

Laura Kane
5 - Ally Morphett
4 - Zarlie Goldsworthy
3 - Ella Roberts
2 - Jasmine Fleming
1 - Steph Wales

Narelle Smith
5 - Ally Morphett
4 - Zarlie Goldsworthy
3 - Matilda Scholz
2 - Ella Roberts
1 - Keeley Skepper

Kelli Underwood
5 - Zarlie Goldsworthy
4 - Ally Morphett
3 - Ella Roberts
2 - Matilda Scholz
1 - Sofia Hurley

Megan Waters
5 - Ally Morphett
4 - Zarlie Goldsworthy
3 - Matilda Scholz
2 - Steph Wales
1 - Jasmine Fleming
 

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