Erin Phillips caps off brilliant 2019 AFLW season, taking out Crows Club Champion award in Darwin
Crows co-captain Erin Phillips’s memorable season has been further recognised by winning the team’s Club Champion award at a ceremony in Darwin.
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Erin Phillips’s scintillating 2019 AFLW form has been recognised with yet another award, this time being crowned the Crow’s Club Champion.
The 33-year-old co-captain was named the team’s best and fairest at a ceremony at Darwin’s Convention Centre on Friday night.
Phillips, a former Australian basketballer, beat another basketball cross-coder — and her 2008 Adelaide Lightning team-mate — Jess Foley by 10 points.
In the Crows Women’s Club Champion, votes are cast on a 0-4 basis by five coaches — Matthew Clarke, Narelle Smith, Andrew McLeod, Peter Caven and Tim Weatherald — after each game.
It is the second club champion award for Phillips, who is now considering her football future after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament in Sunday’s AFLW grand final win over Carlton at Adelaide Oval in front of a record 53,034 people.
The club champion award — which for now, remains nameless — completes the cleansweep for Phillips, who has also won her second AFLW best and fairest at the W Awards, the AFL Player’s Association’s MVP and was best on grand in the grand final.
In last night’s close count, Phillips finished with 150 votes, 10 ahead of runner-up Jessica Foley, who starred in her debut year with the Crows in the ruck, averaging 20 hit-outs per game.
There was a tie for third place, with on-ballers Anne Hatchard and Ebony Marinoff both earning 132 votes after dominating the midfield in the 2019 season, averaging 19 disposals and 22 disposals respectively.
It wasn’t Phillips’s only award for the night, with the mid-forward also winning the Players’ Player Award, voted on by her team-mates.
The AFLW’s leading goalkicker Stevie-Lee Thompson was also honoured on the night after kicking 14 goals, while Deni Varnhagen was awarded with the Best Defensive Player award for her consistent season, averaging a career-best 11 disposals.
Fellow co-captain Chelsea Randall added to the festive feeling of the night by surprising teammates by announcing she will commit to the club for next season, despite rumours she was being pursued by expansion club West Coast.
LEADERBOARD
Phillips 150, J. Foley 140, Hatchard 132, Marinoff 132, Mules 116, Varnhagen 113, Randall 107, Allan 103, Rajcic 100, Thompson 92.
AWARD WINNERS
Crows Women’s Club Champion: Erin Phillips
Runner-up: Jessica Foley
Third place: Ebony Marinoff/Anne Hatchard,
Players’ Player: Erin Phillips,
Best Defensive Player: Deni Varnhagen,
Leading Goalkicker: Stevie-Lee Thompson.
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