Tonight is the AFLW’s night of nights with the league’s finest descending on Melbourne’s Crown Palladium for the 2022 Season Seven W Awards.
The Season Seven AFLW Best and Fairest will be crowned throughout the night, along with a smattering of awards with several your favourite SUNS stars in contention for silverware.
2022 Season Seven All-Australian Team
Two SUNS stars are among the 44 players in contention for selection in the final All-Australian team with both Charlie Rowbottom and Vivien Saad having been named in the extended squad earlier this month.
Rowbottom took her game to another level in her second AFLW season, playing all 10 matches for the SUNS and led the club for disposals (22.5 per game), clearances (6.2 per game), tackles (6.9 per game) whilst also finishing fifth in the league for contested possessions (13.7 per game).
Eye-catching performances throughout the season, in particular in Rounds 4 and 5 against St Kilda and Port Adelaide, is also sure to have poll strongly in the race for the Season Seven AFLW Best and Fairest.
Saad also didn’t miss a beat of the SUNS campaign finishing among the league leaders for intercept possessions, defensive 50 ground ball gets and marks inside defensive 50, staking her claim as one of the AFLW’s best intercepting defenders.
2022 Season Seven NAB AFLW Rising Star
Round 2 marked a long-awaited NAB AFLW Rising Star nomination for the ever-consistent Daisy D’Arcy.
Twice already voted as the SUNS Players’ Player, the 19-year-old went from strength to strength in Season Seven and was rarely beaten across half-back.
She had 16 touches to go with five tackles back to earn her nomination back in Round 2 and finished the season behind only Saad and key defensive partner Lauren Ahrens for intercept possessions to go with 3.9 rebound 50s per game – a team-high.
Crypto.com AFLW Goal of the Year
Only a quarter after kicking her first AFLW goal, Northern Territory product Ashanti Bush raised the bar with a touch of individual brilliance in Round 10 against the GWS Giants.
Scooping up the ball at full tilt charging inside forward 50, the explosive show of pace to burn her defender was only bettered by the checkside finish on the right boot from tight in the forward pocket.
The goal is one of three in contention to take home the Crypto.com AFLW Goal of the Year alongside Hawthorn’s Akec Makur Chuot and Adelaide’s Danielle Ponter.
Fans can tune into special coverage of the arrivals carpet on womens.afl and @aflwomens social channels from 5.15pm QLD time before all the action live on Fox Footy, available on Foxtel and Kayo Sports, from 6.30pm QLD time.
