Off-field transformation of Crows midfielder Anne Hatchard led to stellar 2020 season and well-earned club champion award
Adelaide had planned to wait until the end of the AFL season to announce its AFLW club champion, but instead the Crows anointed their 2020 best and fairest player online overnight. FIND OUT WHO WON
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Only 18 months ago, Anne Hatchard thought she’d be delisted by the Crows’ AFLW side, so she set about transforming her fitness and skills both on and off the field.
That hard work has paid off, with the 22-year-old midfielder crowned the team’s 2020 best and fairest player.
The prolific ball-winner – who this year broke the AFLW record for most disposals when she had 35 touches against Brisbane in round one – beat teammate and fellow midfielder Ebony Marinoff by eight votes to claim the women’s club champion title.
Adelaide announced its end-of-season awards via an online function between players on Thursday night.
Hatchard finished with 67 votes ahead of Marinoff’s 59.
Her stellar season was also recognised by her teammates who voted her the Players’ Player, while Justine Mules was named best defensive player.
Mules finished third in the overall count, with 52 votes.
Darwin-based Danielle Ponter – niece of Essendon legend Michael Long – took home the leading goalkicker award with her five for the season.
Hatchard played all six games for the Crows before the women’s season came to an abrupt halt as the COVID-19 global pandemic shut down sport.
No AFLW premier was declared.
In 2020, “Hatchy” averaged 25.3 disposals per game, the best in the league, eclipsing her previous best disposal-average of 18.9 from 2019.
She kicked one goal and laid 34 tackles, earning All-Australian honours.
Coach Matthew Clarke praised the work Hatchard had put in that had helped transform her into a fit, fast and hard-tacking midfielder.
“She has enormous work ethic and an enormous desire to get better and improve and that is born out in the way she’s performed,” he said.
Overall, the Crows were unable to back up their 2019 premiership season, winning just two of their six games, but Clarke could not fault the effort his players had put in.
“In a season when, from a team perspective, we didn’t reach the heights that we wanted to … it’s probably really important to not only acknowledge the award winners, but all the players and all the effort that went in, because there is a hell of a lot of effort and a lot of sacrifice that goes into a season,” he said.
“For our award-winners to perform individually well in a season that was overall challenging, has another level of credit.”
Crows Best and Fairest tally:
Anne Hatchard 67
Ebony Marinoff 59
Justine Mules 52
Dayna Cox 38
Sarah Allan 37
Courtney Gum 37
Crows AFLW 2020 club champion award-winners:
Best and Fairest: Anne Hatchard
Player’s Player: Anne Hatchard
Leading goalkicker: Danielle Ponter
Best defensive player: Justine Mules