To celebrate the launch of the AFLW 22Under22 team, we reviewed the first three seasons of the AFL Women’s competition and put together the below retrospective side.
For a player to be eligible, they must have been under the age of 22 for at least one of the AFLW seasons and had at least one standout season. For example, despite Chloe Molloy missing the 2019 season through injury, her 2018 Rising Star performance was enough to earn her selection.
The 2020 inaugural AFLW 32-player squad will be released on Thursday, March 26 at 10am AEDT.
THE TEAM
NAME |
CLUB |
D/O/B |
BIOS |
| Libby Birch | Melbourne (Formerly Western Bulldogs) | 03/12/97 | Joined Melbourne during the 2019 AFLW Sign and Trade period following three seasons at the Bulldogs. Birch, a former netballer, has already had a decorated career with a Rising Star nomination, an All Australian Blazer and a premiership medal to her name. |
| Chloe Molloy | Collingwood | 06/12/98 | Former NAB League Girls best and fairest winner Chloe Molloy had the dream start to her AFLW career being named the 2018 Rising Star, AFLPA Best First Year Player and earning an All Australian jumper. Unfortunately, Molloy sustained a lisfranc fracture in Collingwood’s 2018 VFLW Preliminary Final and was sidelined for the entire 2019 AFLW season. |
| Gab Pound | Carlton | 16/10/94 | A key pillar of Carlton’s defence, Gab Pound is yet to miss a game since joining Carlton’s inaugural side in 2017. A consistent performer, Pound was recognised as a 2019 All Australian. |
| Brianna Davey | Collingwood (Formerly Carlton) | 13/01/95 | Cartlon’s inaugural captain and 2019 AFLPA Best Captain award winner Brianna Davey was a stalwart in Carlton’s side for the first three AFLW seasons, including earning an All Australian nod in 2017. The former Matilda has since switched allegiances, joining the Pies ahead of the 2020 season. |
| Sarah Allan | Adelaide | 19/11/97 | Debuting for the Crows in the inaugural AFLW season, Allan has cemented herself as an integral cog in Adelaide’s defence. The 22-year-old back has had a decorated career so far with two All-Australian nominations and two premierships in three seasons. |
| Emily Bates | Brisbane | 18/10/95 | Standing at only 169cm, Bates has established herself as one of the most consistent performers in the AFLW. The midfielder has been rewarded with a club best and fairest in 2017 and All Australian honours in 2017 and 2018. |
| Ebony Marinoff | Adelaide | 15/11/97 | Debuting in 2017, Marinoff has established herself as a hard-nosed midfielder across her three seasons in the AFLW. Marinoff has been recognised as a two-time All Australian and 2017 AFLW Rising Star, to go with her two AFLW premierships. |
| Ally Anderson | Brisbane | 15/08/96 | Improving year-on-year, Anderson deservedly earned All Australian selection in 2019 and was crowned Brisbane’s best and fairest. |
| Ellie Blackburn | Western Bulldogs | 25/03/95 | A member of the Bulldogs’ inaugural AFLW squad, Blackburn is one of the AFLW’s most impressive forwards. The two-time All Australian was the Bulldogs’ inaugural club leading goal kicker before winning the club best and fairest in the same season. Blackburn captained the side to its first AFLW premiership in 2018 in the absence of Katie Brennan. |
| Tayla Harris | Carlton (Formerly Brisbane) | 16/04/97 | After playing her first season with Brisbane, Harris joined the Blues ahead of their 2018 campaign. The 22-year-old has become a key figure in Carlton’s line-up, earning two All-Australian selections (2017, 2018) and a two-time club leading goal kicker (2018, 2019). |
| Jasmine Garner | NMFC (Formerly Collingwood) | 08/07/94 | Jasmine Garner made the move to Arden Street from Collingwood ahead of North Melbourne’s inaugural season. The hard-working forward has become a star of the competition, earning All Australian honours and finishing second in Collingwood’s best and fairest in 2018. |
| Sabrina Frederick | Richmond (Formerly Brisbane) | 14/11/96 | A high-profile recruit, Frederick crossed from the Lions to the Tigers ahead of Richmond’s first season in the AFLW. One of the AFLW’s original marquee recruits, Frederick imposed herself on the competition as a strong marking forward with the ability to pinch hit in the ruck. |
| Kate Hore | Melbourne | 25/03/1995 | Signed by Melbourne as a rookie ahead of the 2018 season, Hore has played in every game since. The former basketballer has the ability to impact the scoreboard and push up the ground to contribute in the midfield. |
| Emma King | NMFC (Formerly Collingwood) | 28/6/94 | A marquee selection for Collingwood ahead of the 2017 season, King joined former Pies’ teammate Jasmine Garner at Arden Street in 2019. The dual ruck-forward is a two-time All Australian and finished equal-fourth in the League’s best and fairest following a strong 2019 campaign. |
| Monique Conti | Richmond (Formerly Western Bulldogs) | 09/12/99 | Cross-code star Conti has cemented herself as an explosive midfielder with elite skills in just her two seasons at AFLW level. The talented basketballer is already one of the most accomplished players in the competition, winning a premiership, best and fairest, and All Australian blazer in her previous stint with the Western Bulldogs. This year, Conti made the decision to focus full-time on football. |
| Maddy Prespakis | Carlton | 02/11/00 | Few players have slotted into the AFLW as seamlessly as Carlton rising star Maddy Prespakis. The ready-made AFLW star earned All Australian selection, the 2019 AFLW Rising Star award and the AFLPA Best First-Year Player award in her first season. |
| Erin McKinnon | GWS | 15/12/98 | Having not missed a game across two seasons, McKinnon has shown off her skills as a tap ruck. The 189cm ruck earned a Rising Star nomination in 2017 and was named the All Australian ruck in 2018. |
| Shannon Campbell | Brisbane | A foundation player for the Brisbane Lions, Campbell is a hard-working defender. The 171cm Queenslander does her best work one-on-one and as a member of the Lions’ last line in defence. | |
| Anne Hatchard | Adelaide | 07/03/98 | A foundation Crow, Hatchard has taken her midfield game to the next level in each of her three AFLW seasons. In 2019, Hatchard earned her first All Australian selection and finished equal-third in the Crows’ best and fairest, adding to her two AFLW flags. |
| Alyce Parker | GWS | 15/08/00 | Parker, a midfielder hailing from Holbrook in Southern NSW, immediately made an impact in her first season of AFLW in 2019. A two-time Under-18 NAB AFLW All Australian, Parker finished second in 2019’s Rising Star count, falling short to Carlton’s Maddy Prespakis. |
| Danielle Ponter | Adelaide | 08/01/00 | The niece of Essendon legend Michael Long, Ponter established herself as a key figure in Adelaide’s 2019 premiership. Ponter kicked 13 goals in eight games, including three in the Grand Final, making her a worthy Rising Star nominee. |
| Sophie Conway | Brisbane | 06/04/99 | Despite missing the 2019 season with an ACL injury, Conway’s impressive debut season in 2018 was enough to earn her selection in the retrospective AFLW 22Under22 side. Conway kicked five goals in six games and was rewarded with a Rising Star nomination during the season. |