Hawthorn’s 2024 AFLW best and fairest will be crowned on Thursday night at Marvel Stadium.
Off the back of a number of Hawks having career-best seasons, here are some of the players who could be in contention to take out the title.
Emily Bates
The 2023 winner has had another stellar year in the brown and gold, with the skipper spearheading the Hawks’ midfield. Bates averaged 21 disposals, 7.1 tackles, 4.6 clearances and kicked five goals for the season. She was the Hawks’ highest vote-getter in the league’s best and fairest last week, at equal-fourth.
Tilly Lucas-Rodd
The Hawks’ inaugural best and fairest winner took their season to a new level in 2024, earning their maiden All Australian blazer. Lucas-Rodd averaged 20.3 disposals, 5.3 intercept possessions and 4.5 rebound 50s.
Eliza West
Gun recruit and Hawks’ vice-captain, West had a career-best season in the brown and gold. Named in the All Australian squad for the first time, West was the team leader in average disposals (21.9), 13.8 handballs, tackles (7.8) and clearances (5.6).
Jasmine Fleming
The young gun who continued to improve in 2024had another impressive season with the Hawks. Fleming averaged 18.6 disposals, 4.4 inside 50s, 3.3 clearances and led the competition for bounces with 1.8 per game (23 total for the season). She kicked her first AFLW goal and finished with five for the year.
Jenna Richardson
2024 was the season that saw the hype increase externally, with Richardson establishing herself as one of the league’s best defenders. Richardson topped the league ranks for marks, averaging 5.4 a game with 70 for the season. She also averaged 7.3 intercept possessions and 13.1 disposals.
Lucy Wales
Wales stamped her authority on the AFLW competition as one of the league’s leading rucks. Her improvement was impressive from her 2023 season. Wales had a season and career-best game in Week 6 where she managed 43 hitouts. She averaged 25.8 hitouts per game, with 336 total for the year.
Aileen Gilroy
Named in the All Australian team for the first time at half forward, Gilroy quickly emerged as one of the league’s most dangerous forwards. She booted 14 majors for the season, doubling her career total up until 2024, with an average of 1.1 goal a game, 13.3 disposals and 3.5 tackles.
(The views in this article are purely those of the author and have no association with the official vote count.)
