Were already a the halfway mark of the 2024 AFLW season, and as the top eight starts to take shape and the bottom teams start to book their off-season holidays, we can begin to look across the board as to who have been the top players at the middle point of the season. From 18 teams and 540 players I have managed to pick my top seven in Season 9 so far.
Jasmine Garner (North Melbourne)
Jasmine Garner has been one of the best players across the league for arguably the past four seasons. Her consistency across the board makes her the most dangerous player week in and week out. Spectators are still waiting to see a game where an opponent or a team is able to shut her down. Recently, the AFL world has been discussing how Marcus Bontempelli might be the greatest player to never win a Brownlow ... well, Jasmine Garner might have her own say in regards to the league's Best and Fairest.
At the halfway point of the season, North Melbourne dominates the competition and looks poised to make back-to-back Grand Final appearances, while Garner averages 27.5 disposals and 5.8 clearances per game. It's her football IQ that makes her so damaging, as she accounts for 4.8 score involvements per game. Not only can she dominate in the midfield and be a threat to defenders inside the forward 50, but her defensive pressure also shows the selfless footballer she is, averaging 7.2 tackles and 20 pressure acts.
Ebony Marinoff (Adelaide Crows)
Year in, year out, the Adelaide Crows have been the team to beat since the inception of AFLW, and a player who has been there from the beginning is Ebony Marinoff. At just 26 years old this season, Marinoff is averaging 29.4 disposals and 530 meters gained per game.
Almost always opting to kick over handball, it's little wonder why when you see the results; her goal from outside 50 on the weekend is a perfect example of that skill. In Round 2 of this season, Marinoff recorded a massive 19 tackles and is currently averaging 10.4 tackles per game this season. Having already claimed the Showdown Medal in Round 1 against Port Adelaide, this won't be her only accolade this season.
MARINOFF FROM OUTSIDE 50! She doesn't believe it! 🚀#AFLWLionsCrows pic.twitter.com/nhRXS3bxJl
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) September 29, 2024
Charlie Rowbottom (Gold Coast Suns)
Charlie Rowbottom is in just her fourth season of AFLW, and at 21, she is an opposition's worst nightmare. She's a contested beast whose strength and power allows her to average 31.4 disposals --19.2 of which are contested. She has been a shining light in what has been a disappointing season so far for the Gold Coast Suns.
Opposition players simply cannot tag her; just ask GWS. In Round 3, Rowbottom played the best game of her young career, finishing with 42 disposals, just one short of the all-time record (43), 14 clearances, and, in true Rowbottom style, 8 tackles. Her season lows are numbers any player would dream of including 25 disposals, 5 clearances and 4 tackles.
Ash Riddell (North Melbourne)
Ash Riddell is a ball magnet and this year it is no different. She can often overshadowed by Jas Garner, but Riddell is a key cog to North Melbourne's success this year. Her endurance and work ethic sets her apart. She covers significant ground throughout games, ensuring she's involved both defensively and offensively being a great link up player for the Roos.
Riddell's relentless running capacity means she's always in the right place to impact the play, whether that's winning the ball or applying pressure. With elite ball winning ability she averages 30.5 disposals a game, 4.3 inside 50s, 11 ground ball gets and 6.2 score involvements. Consistently consistent every game, every quarter, every season.
Monique Conti (Richmond Tigers)
Monique Conti is one of the most enjoyable players to watch on the football field. She has the ball on a string. Off the back of a very successful 2023 season taking out the league best and fairest, club best and fairest as well as a fifth All-Australian selection, there has been no slide in Monique Conti's performance. So far in a rejuvenated Richmond Tigers side she is averaging 26.2 disposals, 427 meters gained, 6 tackles and 4 score involvements. Conti always seems two steps ahead of everyone around her.
Another star with a basketball background. The ability to control the tempo of the game, influence stoppages makes her Richmond's most valuable players. One of Conti's signature traits is her explosive burst from contests. Her speed, paired with her ability to evade opponents, makes her difficult to tackle and allows her to break lines and move the ball quickly into attack. In 2024 and all of her career she can turn defence into attack in an instant, creating space and opportunities for her teammates.
Ally Anderson (Brisbane Lions)
The Brisbane Lions, much like the Adelaide Crows, have been a powerhouse club to the competition. The Lions are fighting it out in the final games of the season predictably every year, and despite the snatching of their stars from rival clubs, they always seem to be bounce back. A player who has been there year after year and led from the front is Ally Anderson. Surprisingly just a dual All-Australian player but already a league Best and Fairest winner, she is still criminally underrated.
In 2024, Anderson has continued her top-tier form by her being able to influence games across all areas of the field. This year she broke Ash Riddell's record for disposals in a game of 42 set in Season 6 and stretched it to 43. Averaging 28.8 disposals, 6 clearances, 5.5 tackles a game so far this season, combining that with her experience and leadership, it has kept her among the best. Anderson remains a key figure for the Brisbane Lions as they contend for another successful season.
Aine McDonagh (Hawthorn Hawks)
Hawthorn's rise this season has been enjoyable for any spectator, with the team breaking scoring records multiple times so far this year. While their young and exciting midfield often garners attention, it's their star Irish forward, Aine McDonagh, who I believe has had the biggest influence.
Recruited in 2022, McDonagh currently sits third in the competition for goal kicking and is Hawthorn AFLW's all-time leading goal scorer. Not only can she kick goals, but she also supports her teammates, leading the league in direct goal assists (six) and ranking second for score involvements, with 31. Her tall forward presence provides her midfielders with every opportunity to hit a target after a clearance. McDonagh's ranking of third in average marks inside fifty, just behind seasoned veterans Caitlin Gould and Katie Brennan, is high praise for a Gaelic football convert.