IT'S AWARD season around the country, with a handful of AFLW stars taking top billing for their respective state leagues.
Brisbane midfielder Emily Bates, Greater Western Sydney skipper Amanda Farrugia, Melbourne ruck Lauren Pearce, Fremantle runner Hayley Miller and West Coast signing Danika Pisconeri were all recognised for their stellar seasons.
QAFLW
Emily Bates – playing for Yeronga-South Brisbane – was named the best player in Queensland's competition.
She won the award with 16 votes, just one ahead of AFLW teammate Jordan Zanchetta and newly signed Sun Kalinda Howarth (who was also the competition's leading goalkicker).
Maroochydore's Lily Postlethwaite, who's eligible to be selected in October's NAB AFLW Draft, won the QAFLW Rising Star.
Her state league teammate and tough Brisbane Lions defender Shannon Campbell was named the QAFLW MVP, as voted by the coaches.
Twelve AFLW-listed players made the team of the year: Tahlia Randall (North Melbourne), Bates (captain), Jess Wuetschner, Campbell, Zanchetta, Breanna Koenen, Nat Grider, Jesse Wardlaw, Jade Ellenger (all Brisbane), Lauren Bella, Kate Surman and Howarth (all Gold Coast).
Bond University's Shane Atkins was named coach of the year.
QAFLW Best and Fairest
16 Emily Bates (Yeronga-South Brisbane/Brisbane Lions)
15 Kalinda Howarth (Bond University/Gold Coast)
15 Jordan Zanchetta (Yeronga-South Brisbane/Brisbane Lions)
13 Jessica Wuetschner (Coorparoo/Brisbane Lions)
11 Natalie Grider (University of Queensland/Brisbane Lions)
11 Selina Priest (Coolangatta Tweed)
AFL Sydney
Greater Western Sydney captain and Macquarie Uni player Amanda Farrugia (pictured in lead image above) won her third Mostyn Medal as AFL Sydney's best women's player.
Farrugia polled 25 votes despite spending some of the winter season playing exhibition matches for GWS in the VFLW, winning from Emily Goodsir and former Giant Rebecca Privitelli.
Farrugia was the only current AFLW-listed player to be named in the team of the year, but former Giants Privitelli, Melissa Freckleton (captain), Renee Tomkins and Pippa Smyth made the cut, with East Coast's Peter Steer named coach.
Southern Power's Alexa Cardassilaris was named Rising Star, while Rylee McGartland from East Coast Eagles won the Belinda Pride Trophy as the competition's leading goalkicker.
AFL Sydney Mostyn Medal
25 Amanda Farrugia (Macquarie Uni/GWS)
23 Emily Goodsir (East Coast Eagles)
18 Rebecca Privitelli (UNSW-ES Bulldogs)
17 Claudia Gunjaca (UTS)
13 Pippa Smyth (Macquarie Uni)
VFLW
All Australian ruck Lauren Pearce's starring year continued, winning the Lambert-Pearce medal as the VFL Women's best and fairest.
Melbourne's Pearce has received permission from the Demons to play her VFLW footy with her original club Darebin Falcons, and reaped the rewards, winning by two votes from Richmond recruit Monique Conti.
Recent St Kilda signing Olivia Vesely won the Debbie Lee Medal for the Rising Star, while Collingwood small midfielder/forward Jaimee Lambert was the VFLW's leading goalkicker, winning the Rohenna Young Medal.
A whopping 19 AFLW-listed players made the team of the year: Jayde Van Dyk (Hawthorn/Carlton), Stacey Livingstone, Jaimee Lambert (Collingwood), Tilly Lucas-Rodd, Caitlin Greiser, Olivia Vesely (Southern Saints/St Kilda), Libby Birch, Bianca Jakobsson (Casey/Melbourne), Rebecca Miller, Tayla Stahl, Monique Conti (Richmond), Phoebe McWilliams (Hawthorn/Geelong), Rebecca Webster (Geelong), Jenna Bruton, Jasmine Garner, Kate Gillespie-Jones, Ash Riddell (Melbourne Uni/North Melbourne), Lauren Pearce (Darebin/Melbourne) and Rebecca Beeson (Hawthorn/GWS).
Richmond V/AFLW coach Tom Hunter was named coach of the year.
VFLW Lambert-Pearce Medal
18 Lauren Pearce (Darebin/Melbourne)
16 Monique Conti (Richmond V/AFLW)
14 Cecilia McIntosh (Essendon VFLW)
12 Ash Riddell (Melbourne Uni/North Melbourne)
10 Bianca Jakobsson (Casey/Melbourne)
WAFLW
Fremantle midfielder Hayley Miller and new West Coast ruck Danika Pisconeri were joint winners of the WAFLW's Dhara Kerr Award.
It was Miller's second consecutive win, having topped the vote-getters in the previous iteration of the competition, the WAWFL, last year.
The pair play at WAFLW club Subiaco; and won from East Fremantle teammates Kimberley Bowey and Roxy Roux.
Subiaco forward Tarnee Tester won the Joanne Huggins Leading Goalkicker award, while Claremont's Jessica Low and Fremantle rookie Lindal Rohde (playing for Subiaco) tied for the Cath Boyce Rookie of the Year.
Coach of the year was awarded to Claremont's Andrew Di Loreto.
WAFLW Dhara Kerr Award
13 Hayley Miller (Subiaco/Fremantle)
13 Danika Pisconeri (Subiaco/West Coast)
12 Kimberley Bowey (East Fremantle)
10 Roxy Roux (East Fremantle)
9 Emily Bonser (Claremont/West Coast)
