Georgie Prespakis takes out second Geelong AFLW best and fairest medal after a standout 2025 season
A star midfielder has come out on top in Geelong’s AFLW best and fairest count, as another secured their first top 3 finish for the club. See the top 10, all the award winners for the night.
Georgie Prespakis has secured her second Cats’ best and fairest in three years, cementing herself as one of the AFLW’s premier midfielders.
The 22-year-old was a runaway winner in Saturday night’s vote count ahead of reigning club champion and fellow midfielder Nina Morrison, while pressure forward Mikayla Bowen rounded out the podium at GMHBA Stadium event.
It follows Prespakis’ 2023 win, and along with Morrison, was her fourth-straight season featuring in the top 3.
The electric midfielder, who will be eyeing a second all-Australian nod later this month, polled a whooping 185 votes (of a possible 240) – 75 votes ahead Morrison (110), with Bowen further back on 76.
Players could pole a maximum 20 votes in each of their 12 games, with senior coach Dan Lowther and each of his three line coaches – Elise Coventry, Nathan Brown and Andrew Bruce – awarding a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 rating to the best five players in their eyes.
For Bowen, her career-best season was rewarded with her first podium finish at the Cats, and second overall, having finished third in West Coast Eagles’ 2021 club count.
Meanwhile, retiring captain Meghan McDonald was recognised with the values-based Hoops Award, as well as the MVQ (most valuable queen) award – voted on by teammates Claudia Gunjaca, Becky Webster and Georgie Rankin each week on their podcast ‘Yeah The Girls!’.
Retiring veteran Kate Darby’s efforts at the club were also recognised, named the Cats’ AFLW Carter Family Community Champion for a fifth time in recognition of her incredible commitment to the wider Geelong community.
Darby is also one of three nominees for this year’s AFLW Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award, to be presented at the AFLW awards on November 24.
Geelong Cats’ AFLW best and fairest top 10
1. Georgie Prespakis (185 votes)
2. Nina Morrison (110)
3. Mikayla Bowen (76)
4. Becky Webster (54)
5. Jackie Parry (51)
6. Claudia Gunjaca (47)
7. Aishling Moloney (40)
8. Amy McDonald (39)
9. Julia Crockett-Grills (25)
10. Georgie Rankin (24)
Preview: Which Cat will get the cream in best and fairest count?
Geelong will crown its latest AFLW best and fairest winner tonight.
Will Georgie Prespakis join teammate Amy McDonald as a multiple club best and fairest, or will it be a new face who takes home the coveted club prize. And who will crack the top 10?
We take a look at the contenders below.
Georgie Prespakis
The clear cut favourite after returning to the peak of her powers this season.
Prespakis still polled third last year despite an injury-hampered season, so a 2025 campaign at full flight will surely see the 22-year-old right up the pointy end of the count for a second club best and fairest following her maiden win of 2023.
Led the competition for clearances (avg. 6.8), while her line-breaking abilities out of the middle supercharged the Cats’ ball movement forward – the midfielder equally skilled on the inside and outside.
Mikayla Bowen
A career-best season for Bowen, who took her game to new heights this year as a pressure half forward, finding much more of the ball to compliment her strong tackling game.
Averaged career highs in disposals (21.6) and tackles (6.7), and finished the season with a career-best 30 touches against Melbourne in round 12.
Left a few goals on the park, but got reward with 2.1 against the Dees to finish with 6.6.
Aishling Moloney
It was another strong season for Moloney, who continues to be arguably among the Cats’ three most important players in just her third season playing AFLW.
Didn’t hit the absolute heights of last year’s all-Australian campaign in terms of goals kicked, her 17 this year – to still take out Geelong’s leading goal kicker – just shy of 21 in 2024 as goal accuracy and efficiency plagued both Moloney and the Cats in general.
Took strides with her contested marking, and her ability to stay composed in contests, while her consistency week-to-week was a strength.
Barring two games where she was well-held (North Melbourne and West Coast Eagles), last year’s runner-up should receive regular votes.
Jackie Parry
Part of a damaging one-two punch up forward with Moloney, Parry’s contested marking went to another level in 2025.
Had career-best year in terms of disposals (13) and marks (5) – with 1.5 of those contested to rank in the top 8 players in the league.
Had a real purple patch from rounds 4-6 where she’ll poll well, particularly against Essendon (19 disposals, 8 marks, 3 goals) and Richmond (17, 9 and 2).
Parry’s versatile was also her strength, able to be swung back into defence as marking cover.
Nina Morrison
The reigning club best and fairest, Morrison didn’t hit last year’s heights, though arguably wasn’t required to shoulder the load in the midfield she had to with Prespakis and Amy McDonald injured.
A lot of Morrison’s work this year flew under the radar with the eye-catching Prespakis back in the fold, but her second half of the season was where she really emerged.
Among the Cats’ best 2-3 players in each of their final three games, she pulled in a season high 27 touches and 512 metres gained against the Eagles, a career-high 15 tackles against the Dogs, and kicked two important final round goals against the Dees.
Georgie Rankin
Up there alongside Bowen as the most improved this year, Rankin put a rough 2024 – where she found herself in and out of the team – behind her to cement herself back in the Cats’ defence and showed herself to be one of their most steady heads and consistent performers.
Started with a bang with a superb round 1 performance against reigning premiers North Melbourne, with 15 touches and a career-best 262 metres gained.
Claudia Gunjaca
Like Rankin, Gunjaca had one of her more consistent campaigns to date.
After finishing top 4 in the Cats’ count in 2023, she dropped outside the top 10 last year, but we’re expecting to see her rise up again.
A standout in the Cats’ loss to the Eagles with 16 intercept possessions, and seven marks – three of those contested.
Amy McDonald
Similar to Morrison, McDonald went under the radar through the midfield, but after an injury-interrupted 2024, it was just good to see her back playing regular footy.
Lining up in all 12 games, she averaged 19.8 disposals, 5.1 tackles and 4.2 clearances.
Missed four games last year with injury and still made the top 10, so should be around the same mark, if not a tad higher this year.
Emma Kilpatrick
The Cats’ best first year player, following an impressive rise which saw her snubbed in the national draft but picked up by the Cats as a replacement player.
Played 11 of a possible 12 games and did the things coaches and teammates love, from spoiling and marking, to attacking the contest with intent, to make her a smoky to crack the top 10 in her first year.
Played a few roles, starting in defence before moving back to the wing where she lined up in the SANFL.
Her best game came in round 5 against Richmond, with 15 touches and a cracking first goal in the AFLW from long range.
Julia Crockett-Grills
The veteran will be looking to poll votes earlier in the season, with hamstring issues seeing her miss five games late in the season.
But when on the field Crockett Grills proved a vital component to a functioning Cats’ attack despite her work often going under the radar.
In a season the Cats struggled to connect in attack and in front of goal, Crockett-Grills was a connector between midfield and forward, finishing equal first in the team for goal assists – despite missing nearly half the season.
Becky Webster
A regular in the top 10 in recent seasons, and just outside the podium in fourth last year, Webster had a handful of standout performances, notably Adelaide in round 2 and Melbourne in round 12, though was perhaps just under her output of recent years.
But she remains a reliable performer for the Cats, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see her finish in the top 10 once again.
OUR BEST AND FAIREST PREDICTIONS
Best and fairest top 5
1. Georgie Prespakis
2. Mikayla Bowen
3. Jackie Parry
4. Aishling Moloney
5. Nina Morrison
Originally published as Georgie Prespakis takes out second Geelong AFLW best and fairest medal after a standout 2025 season
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