ALMOST a year after being crowned the League's best and fairest player, the accolade still does not sit comfortably with Ally Anderson.
The Brisbane midfielder shocked the AFLW world when she stormed to victory to win the season seven gong ahead of star duo Mon Conti and Ebony Marinoff.
Now, as an even better player in season eight, the 29-year-old still winces when the achievement is mentioned.
"I definitely don't feel that way," Anderson said on Wednesday when asked if she views herself as one of the competition's best players.
"It does make me feel a bit uncomfortable, the title, but I've also got to embrace it and really ride the wave and enjoy every moment.
"It's definitely an honour and a privilege to be named that, but at the end of the day it's not why I play footy.
"I play for my teammates, and I play because I enjoy it too."
Anderson will become the League's first player to reach the 75-game mark on Saturday when the Lions play St Kilda, with Marinoff and former midfield mate Emily Bates to join her later in the round.
In reaching the milestone, Anderson will become the second Brisbane woman to be named a life member, behind 2021 premiership captain Emma Zielke.
For context, the mark for men to gain life membership is 150 games, but with AFLW's shorter seasons, the Lions have settled on 75.
Anderson said she had come a long way from the person who told coach Craig Starcevich not to draft her because she'd be out of shape after a 2017 overseas holiday that took up much of the Lions' first ever pre-season.
"Thinking back seven years ago I never would have thought I'd get to this position," she said.
"I've come a long way. It's so exciting that I get the honour of getting the life membership.
"I'm an extremely competitive person and always wanting to get the best out of myself. I feel being in this program has helped me develop that."
After averaging just seven disposals a game in season one, Anderson has improved as both an athlete and footballer each year.
Her award-winning 2022 came on the back of averaging 21.4 disposals a game, which has skyrocketed to 27.8 a game this season.
She said her own improvement throughout the season was being mirrored by her teammates, who are fresh off defeating previously unbeaten Adelaide at the weekend.
"It was really good for our self-belief as a group and very exciting to get the win," she said.
"Every team, every week is constantly trying to find things to improve on … you're never a perfect team.
"We have heaps to work on, but we are hitting some nice form."
