TO THE surprise of absolutely no one, Erin Phillips has been named by the AFLW coaches as the premier midfielder of the competition, but there's also a clear No.2.
Phillips received five votes from coaches in womens.afl's anonymous survey (and another three as "best forward", such is her versatility), with Melbourne jet Karen Paxman recording four of her own.
PLAYERS' SURVEY Who is the best midfielder in AFLW?
A further five players were given a single nomination each, but it's the emergence of Paxman as heir apparent that's the most interesting result.
The Demon is class personified, one of the most natural footballers on the park who's usually one step ahead of the play.
The hard-running Karen Paxman kicks a well-deserved goal.#AFLWGiantsDees pic.twitter.com/06nuPOFL7H
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) March 3, 2019
Phillips' accolades speak for themselves, and she was described as "unstoppable" and "unbelievable" by the coaches.
Adelaide is clearly in the top echelon of the AFLW, and have three separate players – Phillips, Anne Hatchard and Ebony Marinoff – getting at least one nod from the coaches for best midfielder.
The Crows also had three individual nominations from the coaches for best forward: Phillips, Stevie-Lee Thompson and Eloise Jones.
Voting results
5 – Erin Phillips (Adelaide)
4 – Karen Paxman (Melbourne)
1 – Ellie Blackburn (Western Bulldogs), Anne Hatchard (Adelaide), Emma Kearney (North Melbourne), Ebony Marinoff (Adelaide), Dana Hooker (West Coast)
This is part of a series which saw each AFLW senior coach surveyed anonymously about who they regard as the best in the competition. Check back to womens.afl as more answers are revealed in the coming days.
