Kangaroos superstar finally wins AFLW’s top gong after years of snubs… and two more this year

North Melbourne finally has an AFLW best and fairest medal in its trophy cabinet, with Ash Riddell claiming the women’s game’s top honour.

But the Kangaroos superstar had to do it while copping some of the strangest snubs you’ll ever see, after polling zero votes in two games where she broke the AFLW disposal record – 44 of them in Round 6, and then 45 in Round 8.

While disposals are not the be-all and end-all when it comes to stats, to poll no votes across the two record-setting games personified the years-long issues Riddell and her teammates have had on best and fairest night.

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The Kangaroos had never had a player win the award with the likes of Riddell, Jasmine Garner and Emma Kearney consistently taking votes off each other.

But in a season where the Kangaroos extended their historic winning streak to 26 games, Riddell was simply too good.

Riddell equalled the AFLW record with 23 votes, ahead of Geelong’s Georgie Prespakis (20), Melbourne’s Tyla Hanks (18) and West Coast’s Ella Roberts (17).

Riddell was runner-up with 20 votes last year, and equal runner-up with 16 votes in 2023.

Previous winners of the award include Ebony Marinoff (Adelaide, 2024), Monique Conti (Richmond, 2023), Ally Anderson (Brisbane, 2022 S7), Emily Bates (Brisbane, 2022 S6), Brianna Davey and Kiara Bowers (Collingwood and Fremantle, 2021), Maddy Prespakis (Carlton, 2020), Emma Kearney (Western Bulldogs, 2018), and Erin Phillips (Adelaide, 2017 and 2019).

Earlier in the night Riddell’s superstar North Melbourne teammate Jasmine Garner made the AFLW All-Australian side for an eighth time, headlining the league’s 21-person side.

Only long-time teammate Emma Kearney has earned the eye-watering All-Australian accolade as many times across their career with Kearney and Adelaide’s seven-time All-Australian Ebony Marinoff both missing the 2025 team.

Garner was one of four Kangaroos players to make the final side, while their preliminary final opponents Melbourne had three representatives of their own.

Surprisingly, just four players have earned back-to-back All-Australian blazers this season, with Ash Riddell, Ella Roberts and Mim Strom joining Garner as part of the quartet, also showing the strength of the next generation coming through.

Grand Finalist Brisbane plus Carlton, Fremantle and Port Adelaide each had two representatives – with Lions livewire Courtney Hodder finally making the team – while Geelong, Gold Coast, GWS, Hawthorn, St Kilda and West Coast all had one.

There are five Irish players in the side.

2025 AFLW ALL-AUSTRALIAN SIDE

FB: Maeve Chaplin (MEL), Jennifer Dunne (BL)

HB: Serene Watson (STK), Harriet Cordner (CAR), Cambridge McCormick (GWS)

C: Dayna Finn (CAR), Tyla Hanks (MEL), Ella Roberts (WCE)

HF: Kate Hore (MEL), Tahlia Randall (NM), Aine McDonagh (HAW)

FF: Courtney Hodder (BL), Indy Tahau (PA)

FOLL: Mim Strom (FRE), Jasmine Garner (NM), Ash Riddell (NM)

I/C: Georgie Prespakis (GEE), Gabrielle Newton (FRE), Matilda Scholz (PA), Blaithin Bogue (NM), Niamh McLaughlin (GC)

VICE-CAPTAIN: Kate Hore, Melbourne

CAPTAIN: Jasmine Garner, North Melbourne

Meanwhile, first-year Swan Zipporah ‘Zippy’ Fish has absolutely dominated the Rising Star Award for the season, polling a whopping 27 more votes than Poppy Scholz and Lucia Painter, who tied in second place for the award.

The 19-year-old Swan averaged over 21 disposals and three tackles a game this season, also snagging four goals throughout her maiden campaign.

2025 RISING STAR AWARD — FINAL VOTES

1st place – Zippy Fish (Sydney Swans): 50 votes

=2nd place – Poppy Scholz (Carlton): 23 votes

=2nd place – Lucia Painter (West Coast Eagles): 23 votes

4th place – Havana Harris (Gold Coast SUNS): 19 votes

5th place – Sophie McKay (Carlton): 15 votes