Emily Bates is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Hawthorn Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She previously played for the Brisbane Lions from 2017 to season 7. Bates was selected by the Western Bulldogs in the inaugural national women's draft in 2013, and represented them in the first three years of the exhibition games staged prior to the creation of the league. She represented Brisbane in 2016, the last year that the games were held, and was drafted by the club with the second selection in the 2016 AFL Women's draft prior to the inaugural AFL Women's season.
AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football league for female players. The first season of the league in February and March 2017 had eight teams; the league expanded to 10 teams in the 2019 season, 14 teams in 2020 and 18 teams in 2022. The league is run by the Australian Football League (AFL) and is contested by each of the clubs from that competition. The reigning premiers are the Brisbane Lions.
Monique Conti is an Australian sportswoman who plays Australian rules football and basketball. Conti currently plays for the Richmond Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW), having previously played for the Western Bulldogs from 2018 to 2019. She also plays in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) for Geelong United.
Ellie Blackburn is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Western Bulldogs in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She served as Western Bulldogs co-captain in 2019, and as their sole captain from 2020 to 2023. Blackburn is the Western Bulldogs games record holder with 71 games and equal goalkicking record holder with 29 goals.
Ebony Marinoff is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Adelaide Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). Marinoff is a three-time AFL Women's premiership player, six-time AFL Women's All-Australian and dual Adelaide Club Champion winner. She won the inaugural AFL Women's Rising Star award and represented The Allies in the inaugural AFL Women's State of Origin match in 2017. Marinoff has served as Adelaide co-captain since 2024, and is the AFL Women's equal games record holder and Adelaide games record holder with 84 games.
Karen "Paxy" Paxman is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). A defender, 1.70 metres (5.6 ft) tall, Paxman plays primarily on the half-back line with the ability to push into the midfield. She first played football at sixteen years of age and won a premiership and league best and fairest in her first year. She played in the premier division of the Victorian Women's Football League (VWFL) from the 2008 season and won three VWFL premierships with St Albans and Darebin, in addition to a VFL Women's premiership with Darebin. Her accolades in football include three league best and fairests, state representation on four occasions, best-on-ground in a grand final, and five-time AFLW All-Australian honours.
Angela Foley is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Port Adelaide Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She previously played for the Adelaide Football Club from 2017 to season 6. A defender, 1.73 metres (5.7 ft) tall, Foley plays primarily on the half-back line with the ability to push into the midfield.
Jasmine Garner is an Australian rules footballer with North Melbourne in the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition. Garner scored the AFLW's first-ever goal while playing for Collingwood in the league's inaugural match in 2017.
The 2018 AFL Women's season was the second season of the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition, the highest-level senior women's Australian rules football competition in Australia. The season featured eight clubs and ran from 2 February to 24 March, comprising a seven-round home-and-away season followed by a grand final contested by the top two clubs.
The AFL Women's best and fairest is awarded to the best and fairest player in the AFL Women's (AFLW) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game. It is the most prestigious award for individual players in the AFLW. It is also widely acknowledged as the highest individual honour in women's Australian rules football.
The 2017 AFL Women's best and fairest was the first year the award was presented to the player adjudged the best and fairest player during the AFL Women's (AFLW) home-and-away season. Erin Phillips of the Adelaide Football Club won the award with 14 votes.
The 2019 AFL Women's season was the third season of the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition, the highest-level senior women's Australian rules football competition in Australia. The season featured ten clubs and ran from 2 February to 31 March, comprising a seven-round home-and-away season followed by a two-week finals series featuring the top two clubs from each conference. Australian Football League (AFL) clubs Geelong and North Melbourne featured for the first time in 2019.
Madison Prespakis is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Essendon Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She previously played for the Carlton Football Club from 2019 to season 6. A midfielder who won multiple accolades at junior level and played in the VFL Women's (VFLW) as a teenager, Prespakis won the 2019 AFL Women's Rising Star award in her debut season and the 2020 AFL Women's best and fairest award in her second season. She is a three-time AFL Women's All-Australian, three-time Carlton best and fairest winner and was the inaugural Essendon best and fairest winner in season 7, and is Essendon's equal games record holder with 24 games.
The 2019 AFL Women's best and fairest was the award presented to the player adjudged the best and fairest player during the 2019 AFL Women's season. Erin Phillips of the Adelaide Football Club won the award for the second time, winning with 19 votes.
The 2020 AFL Women's best and fairest was the award presented to the player adjudged the best and fairest player during the 2020 AFL Women's season. Madison Prespakis of the Carlton Football Club won the award with 15 votes.
Georgie Prespakis is an Australian rules footballer playing for Geelong Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW).
The 2022 AFL Women's season 6 best and fairest award was presented to the player adjudged the best and fairest player during 2022 AFL Women's season 6. Emily Bates of the Brisbane Lions won the award with 21 votes.
The 2022 AFL Women's season 7 best and fairest award was presented to the player adjudged the best and fairest player during 2022 AFL Women's season 7. Brisbane's Ally Anderson won the award with 21 votes, becoming the second consecutive Brisbane player to win the award after teammate Emily Bates won the season 6 award. Having missed selection in the 2022 AFL Women's season 7 All-Australian team, Anderson became the first AFLW player to win the league best and fairest award but miss All-Australian selection in the same season.
The 2023 AFL Women's best and fairest award was presented to the player adjudged the best and fairest player during the 2023 AFL Women's season. Richmond's Monique Conti won the award with 23 votes, an AFLW record.
