AFLW Awards 2022: Coach’s shoey after Emily Bates crowned AFLW best and fairest
WATCH: Emily Bates was crowned the AFLW’s best player and her last-round win was sealed with a shoey from her coach. Leaderboard, All-Australian + other winners.
AFLW
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFLW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Brisbane Lions star Emily Bates has capped off a standout season by winning her first AFLW best and fairest trophy on Tuesday night.
Announced at a gala AFLW awards function at Crown Palladium, the Lions vice-captain prevailed in a nailbiting count by one vote over Crow Anne Hatchard.
Stream every match of every round of the 2022 Toyota AFL Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free In-Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >
The midfielder came into the count having already been crowned the AFLCA champion player of the year.
Bates shocked the audience by saying coach Craig Starcevich had promised to do a “shoey” if she was named the competition’s best player.
Sure enough, the Collingwood 1990 premiership star – who was sitting in the crowd – untied his black shoe, filled the footwear with his drink and skolled it to the delight of the Brisbane table and cheering crowd.
WATCH THE HILARIOUS SHOEY IN THE PLAYER ABOVE
It took three votes in the final round for the Queensland product to prevail over Hatchard with 21 votes in what was a thrilling finish.
“I’m in shock but I’m very happy,” Bates said after accepting the award.
“I know my name had been bandied around but I honestly didn’t expect that, I didn’t think I was a chance.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d win an award like this.”
She dedicated the victory to her father, who introduced her to football but never got to see her scale the heights of AFLW.
“I just want to make mention of my dad. who got me playing footy when I was young and he’s the reason I started playing footy and I just followed his footsteps at Yeronga Football Club.
“I always had a footy in my hands and he coached the men’s team there.
“He passed away when I was 15 and never got to see me get drafted or anything like that, so this would definitely be for him and I wish he was here to see it today, but I’d know he’d be really proud.”
AFLW All-Australia: Six time’s a charm for star Roo
Kearney – who was named in the backline – has now made the team of the year every season in the competition’s six-year existence.
Grand finalists Melbourne and the Adelaide Crows led the way with four representatives each ahead of Saturday’s grand final at the Adelaide Oval, including Daisy Pearce and Ebony Marinoff.
To cap off Kearney’s great year she was also named the team’s captain, which was announced at the AFLW Awards at the Crown Palladium on Tuesday night.
A former winner of the coveted AFLW best and fairest award, she played 10 games in 2022 but had to overcome missing round 2 because of Covid-19.
“I had mild cold-like symptoms,” Kearney told the Herald Sun at the time.
“But there were times where you’d start doing a little bit of activity, gym at home and things like that and you’d get really fatigued and then headaches come.”
Kearney’s Kangaroos made the finals but were knocked out in the opening week by Fremantle.
Nine teams were represented in this year’s side.
The All-Australian team featured five debutants, including Orla O’Dwyer (Brisbane) – the first AFLW player from Ireland to earn an All-Australian jumper, and Hayley Miller (Fremantle) – debuting as the vice-captain.
Seven players retained their spots from last year, including Sarah Allan (Adelaide Crows), Ruby Schleicher (Collingwood), Jasmine Garner (North Melbourne), Katie Brennan (Richmond), Monique Conti (Richmond), Kearney and Marinoff.
Kirsty Lamb (Western Bulldogs), Natalie Grider (Brisbane Lions), and Ashleigh Woodland (Adelaide Crows) also received their maiden All-Australian honour.
Popular Melbourne skipper Pearce received her third All-Australian blazer and her first since 2018, while Crows star Marinoff received her fourth.
Many had predicted that this could be Pearce’s last year, but her selection in the competition’s team of the year suggests she has plenty of quality football ahead.
“It’s the highlight of my week still to go to training … let alone suit up and play on the weekend,” she said on Monday.
“If that’s still the case at the end of the season, I’ll have some big decisions to make and we’ll see what happens.
Meanwhile, Carlton’s Mimi Hill was crowned the winner of the Rising Star award.
Hill won the award with 43 votes, narrowly beating Gold Coast’s Charlie Rowbottom (42 votes) and North Melbourne’s Mia King (33 votes).
Hill averaged 21.5 disposals this season – the seventh highest in the league – 2.3 tackles, three clearances, and 2.5 inside 50s per game.
She is Carlton’s second player to win the coveted award, joining teammate and fellow midfielder Madison Prespakis, who first won it in 2019.
Fremantle’s Ebony Antonio won the goal of the year, while North Melbourne’s Tahlia Randall took home the mark of the year award for her spectacular grab in round six.
Career call: Does flag signal the end for Daisy?
—Lauren Wood
Daisy Pearce is adamant she has made no decision on her playing future as her first AFL Women’s grand final looms large on Saturday.
But she has admitted that she feared featuring in a grand final may have been beyond her as she endeavoured to return to playing following the birth of her twins, Roy and Sylvie.
Pearce, 33, won 10 premierships with VWFL/VFLW powerhouse Darebin before embarking on AFLW, with Saturday’s decider against Adelaide her first — and maybe final — shot at a top flight flag in her fifth season in the competition.
She missed the 2019 season when the twins were born but has been a key figure in the women’s competition since its inception in 2016, but maintains she has made no call on whether she will play on next season.
“It’s so hard to look any further than beyond what’s in front of us,” Pearce said on Monday.
“I found that on the weekend. It was almost a sense of relief that I knew exactly what I was doing this week because it had been so hard to look any further than that. You get such tunnel vision when you’re at this point in the season.”
Pearce — who will work as an assistant coach in the AFLW Academy this year — has been touted as a potential future senior coach in either the women’s or men’s competition.
And while she is heartened by the possibilities, there remains a premiership to be won.
“For me, it’s awesome to think that there are other opportunities in the game for me when my playing career finishes, but right here and now, my biggest focus is this team, the opportunity we have,” she said.
“It’s the highlight of my week still to go to training … let alone suit up and play on the weekend. If that’s still the case at the end of the season, I’ll have some big decisions to make and we’ll see what happens.
“(I’m) just savouring the moment that we have right now this week and then I’ll sit down with (partner) Ben and the family and make a decision beyond that once the dust has settled on this season.”
Roy and Sylvie were born in February 2019 and Pearce was determined to return to football’s top level, though she concedes there were moments where leading the Demons in a grand final had seemed a pipe dream.
This is the first season that Pearce — one of the league’s most dominant players — has felt physically “myself again” and not “in catch-up mode”.
“It takes a lot for any athlete to get up and through a footy season, and then with kids and carrying them — it’s got its extra challenges as well,” she said.
“There were times where I wondered whether it would be possible.
“The biggest thing — and I say this to expectant parents all the time — you’re still yourself. When all those challenges come upon you, like when I had the kids, I was still a competitor at heart and wanted to get back out there.
“Being around the teammates that I love has always driven me to keep getting back to the line.”
Adelaide awaits on Saturday — a powerhouse that is hunting a premiership that could mark a dynasty for the Crows, who have won two flags in five years, and at their hunting ground of Adelaide Oval.
The size of the task is not lost on Pearce.
“We respect them and they had the better of us earlier this year and taught us some valuable lessons, but I feel like we’ve evolved since then,” she said.
“We respect them and it’s going to take our absolute best, but we don’t fear them. We’re looking forward to playing against them and having another crack.”
Daisy’s take on expansion and changing season dates
The expansion of AFL women’s has the backing of league great Daisy Pearce but she said there are significant challenges that face what will soon be an 18-team competition.
Hawthorn, Essendon, Port Adelaide and Sydney will enter the AFLW next season, which is set be brought forward to August.
Brisbane coach Craig Starcevich lashed the expansion rules on Saturday, saying the AFL “pull the rug out from under us” by allowing expansion teams to sign current players.
Pearce backed spring as “the right window” for the game after a gruelling summer schedule this year, but said there were still hurdles to jump to ensure success.
“I think the challenge for it will be making it happen with this little runway and with four new teams coming in this year,” she said.
“But I think AFLW has shown over the journey that every time there’s been these moments of growth or change of direction, there’s been a reluctance and a fear that there won’t be enough talent or there’ll be teething issues.
It’s continued to improve year on year. I back it in to do that again.”
Pearce identified draftees balancing study commitments and current players exhausting leave entitlements from their employment as two key factors.
“The two biggest challenges that come to mind for me is filling four teams if you’ve got to rely on young talent that will probably be doing Year 12 exams throughout much of the season,” she said.
“Then secondly for the playing cohort that work … I know I’ve used up all of my favours at work already for this calendar year, and I work in footy for a lot of my work, so I’m quite lucky.
“So for those who don’t work in footy and have full-time jobs that they’re juggling …. to go back to the well and ask for more favours and more leave is going to be pretty tricky. They’re all things to negotiate and try and get the best outcome for players.”
How Miller bounced back from double disappointment
Fremantle star Hayley Miller was booted from the midfield last year and lost the captaincy this season. She tells ELIZA REILLY how she’s swallowed her pride and rediscovered her form.
AFLW’s headline act dominates again – but they deserve better
On a wet Friday afternoon, one of the best double acts in football put on another spectacular show. But the performance of Jasmine Garner and Ash Riddell raises a big question.