AFLW 2021: Brianna Davey claims MVP award in thriller
Star midfielder Brianna Davey has joined esteemed company at Collingwood following a stunning result in the AFLW Players’ Most Valuable Player award.
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Collingwood’s co-captain Brianna Davey has joined an elite cohort of Magpies, winning the AFLW Players’ Most Valuable Player Award after a 2021 campaign that saw her average a career-high 23.8 touches.
The 26-year-old midfielder was voted MVP by her peers with 319 votes, beating Fremantle’s Kiara Bowers by three votes.
Western Bulldogs’ captain Ellie Blackburn finished third with 214 votes.
In winning the MVP, Davey is only the third Magpie to claim the MVP award, joining Collingwood champions Darren Millane, who won it in 1990 and Dane Swan, who was the winner in 2010.
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Davey, who is the only person in AFL/AFLW history to captain both Collingwood and Carlton, finished the 2021 season not only leading the competition in disposals, averaging 23.8, but finished top 10 for metres gained, contested possessions, clearances, marks, tackles, score involvements and inside 50s.
Fellow Magpies co-captain Stephanie Chiocci described Davey as resilient and dedicated to her craft.
“It takes a lot of stop her. I’ve seen her storm through one, two, three tackles and dish the ball out and not many girls can do that,” Chiocci said.
“Then you’ll have her smothering the ball, laying a tackle herself and it inspires the girls.”
Other award winners were Adelaide captain Chelsea Randall, who won her fourth AFLW Most Courageous player award and Bulldogs skipper Ellie Blackburn won the Best Captain award.
Randall was ruled out of this Saturday’s AFLW Grand Final against Brisbane with concussion, but her courage award is fitting recognition of how she is viewed across the competition.
The players crowned Richmond’s Ellie McKenzie as the Best First Year Player.
Consistent with the process to crown the male MVP, known as the Leigh Matthews Trophy, the AFLPA’s female members voted to decide the player worthiest of the AFLW Players’ MVP Award (details below).
WINNERS AND TOP POLLING PLAYERS
AFLW PLAYERS’ MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Brianna Davey, Collingwood – 319 votes
Kiara Bowers, Fremantle – 313
Ellie Blackburn, Western Bulldogs – 214
MOST COURAGEOUS
Chelsea Randall, Adelaide – 117
Kirsty Lamb, Western Bulldogs – 69
Nicola Stevens, Carlton – 27
BEST CAPTAIN
Ellie Blackburn, Western Bulldogs – 86
Daisy Pearce, Melbourne – 62
Brianna Davey, Collingwood – 44
BEST FIRST-YEAR PLAYER AWARD
Ellie McKenzie, Richmond – 137
Jess Fitzgerald, Western Bulldogs – 63
Courtney Hodder, Brisbane – 56
Crows give defender the nod to lead team in GF
Crows’ two-time premiership-winning defender Angela Foley will captain Adelaide in its third grand final appearance, replacing Chelsea Randall who’s been sidelined with concussion.
Foley said it was a huge honour to take on Randall’s captain’s duties for the team she’s been with since the inaugural AFLW season in 2017.
“I love this club, I’m humbled, I’m proud to be part of such an amazing group of girls,” she said.
“I’m honoured that I’ll go down on the team sheet as captain, but to win another premiership is probably something that I am more focused on.
“Captain is a title that has to be given to one person in the team.
“Chelsea is still captain and I am just wearing her badge for the day and I hope I can make her proud.”
Randall was ruled out of Saturday’s decider against Brisbane after suffering concussion in the opening minutes of last weekend’s preliminary final win over Melbourne, under the AFL’s new concussion protocols introduced this year.
Under the league’s rules, any player — male or female — who suffers concussion must sit out of playing for a mandatory 12 days.
Foley is a 32-year-old defender and will play her 40th AFLW game in Saturday’s Grand Final — the third Crow to reach the 40-game milestone behind Ebony Marinoff and Stevie-Lee Thompson — and has already won two premierships with the Crows in 2017 and 2019.
She has been in the team’s leadership group since the club’s inaugural season five years ago.
Foley said despite Randall being sidelined for the teams third grand final appearance in five seasons, that her courage and inspiration would continue from the sidelines.
“Chelsea continues to inspire us with the amount of care she shows for our group, the foundations we have laid as a collective sets us up for challenges like this.
“What I told her when she asked me to take over as captain, that she always plays with her heart on her sleeve, and this weekend, I will play with her heart on my sleeve.”
Midfielder Marinoff said Foley was an excellent choice of captain, particularly given she’d been in the team’s leadership group since the inaugural 2017 season.
“(Chelsea) Randall will be our captain on the day, we’re not going to take that away from her, but Ange Foley and her pre-up talks are pretty good,” Marinoff said.
Foley said Randall was an integral part of the Crows success and the building of their successful culture.
“It’s a weird feeling, that while I’m happy to be captain, I’m also sad because Chelsea doesn’t get to play with us.”
The Crows take on the Lions on Saturday from 1.30pm at Adelaide Oval with tickets available from Ticketek.
Indie-pop star honoured to play at GF
Australian indie-pop artist G Flip has been unveiled as the pre-game entertainment for Saturday’s AFLW Grand Final, describing it as “one of the highlights of my life”.
The AFL announced on Monday that the Melbourne-based singer-songwriter, also known as Georgia Flipo, would perform at Adelaide Oval before the Crows and Brisbane battle for the 2021 AFLW premiership cup.
The 26-year-old, who is best known for her breakout single About You, said she was thrilled to be performing on the biggest day on the women’s football calendar.
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“I’ve been a footy fan since my dad put a Magpies scarf around my neck as a baby and I haven’t missed a Pies game this season.
“I don’t just like footy, I love footy.
“This will be one of the highlights of my life, I’m very excited.”
The AFL also announced that both the national anthem and Welcome to Country would be performed by local talent as part of the pre-game formalities.
The AFL’s customer and commercial boss, Kylie Rogers, said it was exciting to celebrate another fantastic year of female football with a great line-up of Australian talent.
“We’re delighted to have G Flip and some exciting local talent entertain fans ahead of the 2021 NAB AFLW Grand Final,” she said.
“Australians have been starved of attending live music since the global pandemic began, so we hope to see as many G Flip and football fans secure their seat at the NAB AFLW Grand Final and fill the stadium in celebration of women’s football.”
G Flip burst onto the music scene in 2018, following the release of her breakout single About You from her debut album About Us and has received a host of music accolades including a Best New Music nod from Pitchfork.
She has sold-out headline shows both in Australia and overseas.
Tickets for the game go on sale on Tuesday afternoon, with members having early access from 3.30pm and general public from 4.30pm.
Tickets are $10 for adults with free entry for children under 18.
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