Geelong star Georgie Prespakis and Gold Coast powerhouse Charlie Rowbottom have broken the record for most selections in a 22Under22 team by AFLW players, with both being voted into the 2025 final side, for the fifth time.
The two youngsters have now surpassed Prespakis’ sister, Madison, and Monique Conti, who previously held the record with four appearances each, in the AFL Players’ Association’s 22Under22 team, presented by Intrepid Travel.
Marcus Bontempelli is the sole AFL player to have been selected in a final22Under22 team on five occasions.
Fans in the west made their voices heard, with more West Coast players being voted into the side than any other team. Four Eagles – Georgie Cleaver, Lucia Painter, Ella Roberts and Charlotte Thomas – made the final cut.
This year marks Roberts’ third appearance, Thomas’ second, and Cleaver and Painter’s debut.
Despite being just 20 years old and in her third season, Roberts was chosen by the fans to lead the final side of 22, while Prespakis, who was the 22Under22 captain in 2024, was picked as her deputy.
The Scholz siblings were the most popular players with fans this year, with older sister Matilda receiving 86 per cent of fans’ votes, and younger sister Poppy being chosen in 84 per cent of teams. First-year Sydney sensation Zippy Fish followed closely behind, appearing in 83 per cent of fans’ teams.
Fans selected the final team from an initial 44-person squad compiled by inaugural AFLW player and respected commentator Kate McCarthy as Chair of Selectors, with support from the AFLPA and Champion Data.
For a player to be eligible for selection in the squad, they must be 22 and under for the entirety of the season (including Grand Final Day, 29 November) and have played at least five matches throughout 2025.
The AFLPA is proud to partner with Intrepid Travel as the major partner of the 22Under22 competition.
Intrepid Travel has been a world leader in responsible travel for 35 years. The company’s mission is to create positive change through the joy of travel, which comes to life on more than 900 trips all designed to truly experience local culture. With its own network of destination management companies in 28 countries, Intrepid has unique local expertise and perspectives. Globally recognised for their commitment to transparency and ethical travel, they became B-Corp certified in 2018. Intrepid Travel is also the first tour operator with near-term science-based climate targets through the Science Based Targets Initiative, and its not-for-profit, The Intrepid Foundation, has raised more than $16 million for more than 160 partners.