EBONY Marinoff has had one of the best individual seasons ever seen in the NAB AFL Women's competition.
The Adelaide onballer has been simply sensational this year, polling coaches votes in all 11 matches she's played.
LIVE TRACKER AFLW best and fairest, every vote
Marinoff has had a career-best campaign, dominating around stoppages with her high workrate and strong ball use. Her ability to do damage both offensively and defensively means she is never out of the game.
In 2024, Marinoff has averaged career-high numbers for disposals (30.5), contested possession (16.5), tackles (12.4), clearances (6.5) and pressure acts (26.7).
She has already taken out the AFLCA AFLW Champion Player of the Year award and there's no doubt there's plenty of other accolades to come.
It means Marinoff is widely regarded as the frontrunner for the AFLW Best and Fairest on Monday night, but don't rule out a handful of other stars staking their claims.
AFL.com.au runs through five other contenders for the most prestigious individual award on the women's footy calendar.
ASH RIDDELL
North Melbourne's midfield maestro looks all but certain to add a fourth All-Australian blazer to her collection at the W Awards on Monday night and is arguably Marinoff's biggest competitor for the top prize.
AFL.com.au reporters and editors assigned to matches are required to allocate 3-2-1 votes at the conclusion of each game and the consensus is, watch out for Riddell.
Riddell is tied with Marinoff as the leading contender by that measure, both having polled 24 votes across the season.
Riddell has been a consistent force through the midfield for Darren Crocker's side this season, her high workrate and cleanliness with the footy key elements to her game.
The star Roo has averaged 29.4 disposals and 4.8 clearances this year, but it's the uptick in tackles (6.7) and goals (five for the year), that has seen her take her game to the next level.
Riddell polled 77 votes in the AFLW Champion Player of the Year but given the strength and depth of North Melbourne's side this year, that may work against her.
JASMINE GARNER
Speaking of talented Roos, Jas Garner is one of the competition's finest.
Garner has been a standout performer for several years now and will likely add a seventh All-Australian to her long list of accolades on Monday night.
The 30-year-old is a three-time AFLCA Champion Player of the Year winner and a two-time AFLPA MVP but has bizarrely never claimed the AFLW Best and Fairest.
Could this be the year she finally claims her crown? It's hard to say but given she has failed to poll strongly in years gone by, it appears unlikely.
By the numbers, Garner is on a slight decline this year, but her form well and truly says otherwise.
Pleasingly for North Melbourne, there are plenty of contributors at the club in 2024. Garner has been superb, but so has Riddell, Mia King, Alice O'Loughlin and Ruby Tripodi. Spearhead Kate Shierlaw has also had a strong campaign, while defender Sarah Wright has been rock solid in defence. Their even spread of contributors was one of the key factors in their undefeated home and away season.
AFL.com.au's AFLW Best and Fairest tracker has her in third place with 19 votes, while she was second in the coaches votes with 79 votes.
The problem for Garner is, she's probably sharing votes with too many of her teammates.
ELIZA WEST
Eliza West has been one of, if not the best, recruits of 2024.
West has been a dominant force in Hawthorn's onball brigade, combining beautifully with the likes of Emily Bates, Jasmine Fleming and Mattea Breed.
After falling out of favour at Melbourne, West has become an integral cog in Daniel Webster's midfield mix.
The hard-nosed onballer never gives up and is a maniac around the coalface.
West averaged 21.9 disposals, 14 contested possessions, 7.8 tackles and 5.6 clearances a game this year, career-highs across all four categories.
Put simply, she has a new lease on her football life and is absolutely flourishing in a new environment.
West finished fifth in both the coaches votes (60) and AFL.com.au tracker (18) this season.
MONIQUE CONTI
Richmond's superstar midfielder just keeps getting better and better.
Could she defy the odds and become a back-to-back AFLW Best and Fairest winner?
When she's up and about, Conti is one of the game's most damaging players.
She is dynamic around stoppage and possesses great speed and skill, making her a nightmare match-up for opposition coaches and taggers.
The Tigers jet averaged 25.5 disposals, 6.5 tackles and five clearances a game this year.
Perhaps she hasn't quite reached the heights of her 2023 campaign, but the Tigers as a club had a far stronger season in 2024 than they did last year, which usually bodes well on awards night.
It's hard to believe Conti is still only 24 years old, having already claimed five All-Australians, five Richmond best and fairests and a premiership back at the Bulldogs.
Conti finished equal third in AFL.com.au's Champion Player this year and came in sixth place in the coaches votes.
CHARLIE ROWBOTTOM
After securing her maiden All-Australian blazer last year, Charlie Rowbottom has continued the bright start to her AFLW career.
Rowbottom has become one of the competition's best contested midfielders, leading the League in contested possessions (195) and clearances (84) during the home and away season.
In a disappointing year for the Suns, Rowbottom was a shining light. She claimed the club's best and fairest award this year, her fourth consecutive top-two finish since debuting in 2022.
The Oakleigh Chargers product averaged 27.8 disposals, 17.7 contested possessions, 7.9 tackles, 7.6 clearances, and 19.2 pressure acts in 2024.
The biggest thing going against her this year was the fact the Suns won just one game all season and suffered several big blowouts.
Rowbottom ranked sixth for AFL.com.au and eighth in the coaches votes this year.
Other contenders for the award include Brisbane Lions midfielder Ally Anderson and Fremantle duo Aisling McCarthy and Mim Strom.
The W Awards will be held on Monday, November 26.
AFL.com.au AFLW Player of the Year
24 votes – Ebony Marinoff (Adelaide), Ash Riddell (Kangaroos)
19 votes – Jasmine Garner (Kangaroos), Monique Conti (Richmond)
18 votes – Eliza West (Hawthorn)
15 votes – Charlie Rowbottom (Gold Coast)
13 votes – Georgia Nanscawen (Essendon), Aisling McCarthy (Fremantle), Alyce Parker (GWS Giants), Laura Gardiner (Sydney)
Votes per club
North Melbourne: 55, leading vote-getter Ash Riddell (24)
Adelaide: 52, Ebony Marinoff (24)
Brisbane: 49, Sophie Conway and Belle Dawes (12)
Hawthorn: 48, Eliza West (18)
Richmond: 41, Monique Conti (19)
Fremantle: 41, Aisling McCarthy (13)
Essendon: 39, Georgia Nanscawen (13)
Geelong: 31, Nina Morrison (eight)
Port Adelaide: 29, Abbey Dowrick (12)
Sydney: 29, Laura Gardiner (13)
Melbourne: 28, Kate Hore and Eliza McNamara (eight)
Gold Coast: 26, Charlie Rowbottom (15)
St Kilda: 26, Jaimee Lambert and Jesse Wardlaw (six)
West Coast: 25, Ella Roberts (10)
GWS: 24, Alyce Parker (13)
Western Bulldogs: 21, Isabelle Pritchard and Jess Fitzgerald (eight)
Carlton: 20, Keeley Sherar (eight)
Collingwood: 10, Brit Bonnici (five)
