ASK ANYONE what makes Ebony Marinoff such a good footballer, and they'll tell you it's work ethic.

The willingness to knuckle down is at the heart of Marinoff's constant impact across all nine seasons of AFLW to date.

"The thing that makes her good is just a thirst to work incredibly hard on her game and physical capacity," Adelaide coach Matthew Clarke told AFL.com.au.

"Massive work ethic and fiercely competitive, pretty good combination for any player. And it obviously had the effect of making her become a really effective leader by just displaying those two things, regardless of the circumstance, regardless of what time of year it is, what day it is. She's just very, very reliable in terms of bringing those two things to the table."

Marinoff initially hit the AFLW with a bang back in 2017. She was Adelaide's first ever draftee, picked up with No.7 in the 2016 Telstra AFLW Draft while still a teenager.

Her willingness to tackle, and tackle, and tackle, drove her toward the inaugural Telstra Rising Star award, and she has been a staple in the Crows' three premierships.

All the while, she has been tinkering away at her game. Establishing a better balance between those defensive efforts and her own ball winning ability. And season on season, Marinoff has added new weapons to her game.

In recent years, that tinkering has extended to her younger teammates, and establishing ways to help them become the best versions of themselves, as both footballers and people.

Defender Zoe Prowse lives with Marinoff, and has been enjoying the opportunity to learn what professional standards look like away from the footy club.

"The way she goes about everything on and off the field is just incredible to watch," Prowse said.

"When she crosses that white line, she is on, she's in the zone, she's ready to go. She will be ruthless, she'll be brutal, she'll tell you how it is. Off field, she's so willing to have open conversations, all of that. Honestly, she's become like an older sister to me. She's like family."

Marinoff regularly cooks for Prowse and fellow teammate Lily Tarlinton, who also lives in the house, and has taught them simple acts of routine that they have built into their day, right down to making one's bed each morning.

"I'm still making my bed every day," Prowse laughed.

"She cooks for us; I'd probably say 99 per cent of the time just because she absolutely loves it."

Prowse is also quick to quash any suggestions of a chaotic household.

"A lot of people expect her to be really messy and have quite a frantic house. It's honestly the compete opposite. Everyone that we speak to is like 'How's the house going? Is it a bit of a crazy house?' But it's the complete opposite," Prowse explained.

"It's the nicest house ever, everything's organised. We're such a well-oiled machine in here that I think that's probably the most surprising thing."

But it makes sense that Marinoff applies herself as diligently off the field as she does on it, and that's what has kept her at the top of the game even as the AFLW has developed and grown.

"It's the consistency with which she applies herself, I think, which has made her into a pretty good player," Clarke said.

"She didn't have the natural skill base of some of the players she came through alongside, but over a period of nine seasons, she basically just picks off the next thing and keeps going until she becomes elite at it."

Currently in the throes of a career-best year, Marinoff is just the third player in League history to average 30 or more disposals throughout a home and away season, while she is also laying an average of 12.4 tackles and winning 6.5 clearances each week.

Clarke is reluctant to suggest that Marinoff is the best player in the game. But what he will admit is that she's a handy player to have at his disposal.

"She has attributes which are unrivalled," Clarke said carefully.

"There's no straight line through that question, because it depends on what metric you want to assess … but certainly in terms of her competitiveness and her work ethic, I don't see too many match her in those two areas.

"I'm pleased that she's being recognised as the talent that she is, and the truth is, she's actually not the finished article. There's still parts of her game that need lots of work, but it'll be really interesting to see where she is in another five years' time."

Prowse has never seen Marinoff play better footy either, and she's got a pretty good view from deep in the backline.

"It's insane how well she can do, how much she can run, and the amount of tackles that she lays," Prowse said.

"It's just credit to what she did in the off season and the amount of work she puts in."

And with the W Awards on the horizon, Marinoff's chances at the top going are better than ever. But focus at the Crows, as always, is on team success.

"My job is the best in the world. Not only Ebony, but a series of really, really high-quality individuals who are really committed, really have a thirst to get better, and really fun to be around," Clarke said.

"It wouldn't be a great job if there was only one. You need a weight of numbers to make it rewarding for everyone, yourself, all the players, all the other coaches.

"It's when you get a large cohort of people all moving in the same direction, which is what makes it enjoyable."