The 2021 AFL Women's season was the fifth season of the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition, the highest-level senior women's Australian rules football competition in Australia. The season featured 14 clubs and ran from 28 January to 17 April, comprising a nine-round home-and-away season followed by a three-week finals series featuring the top six clubs.
| 2021 AFL Women's season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Date | 28 January—17 April 2021 |
| Teams | 14 |
| Premiers | Brisbane 1st premiership |
| Runners-up | Adelaide 1st runners-up result |
| Minor premiers | Adelaide 1st minor premiership |
| Best and fairest | Kiara Bowers (Fremantle) Brianna Davey (Collingwood) 15 votes |
| Leading goalkicker | Darcy Vescio (Carlton) 16 goals |
| Attendance | |
| Matches played | 68 |
| Total attendance | 155,908 (2,293 per match) |
| Highest (H&A) | 9,552 (round 6, West Coast v Fremantle) |
| Highest (finals) | 22,934 (grand final, Adelaide v Brisbane) |
Brisbane won the premiership, defeating Adelaide by 18 points in the 2021 AFL Women's Grand Final. Adelaide won the minor premiership by finishing atop the home-and-away ladder with a 7–2 win–loss record. Fremantle's Kiara Bowers and Collingwood's Brianna Davey tied for the AFL Women's best and fairest award as the league's best and fairest players, and Carlton's Darcy Vescio won their second AFL Women's leading goalkicker award as the league's leading goalkicker.
Format
editThe previous two AFLW seasons were formatted with the assistance of conferences, which split the league's clubs into two ranking tables. The AFL elected to remove the conferences for the 2021 season and revert to a single ladder. Under the terms of the existing contractual bargaining agreement between the players and the AFL, teams will play nine regular season matches, before a three-week finals series for the top six teams occurs.[1] Owing to the fact clubs will not get the opportunity to play all of their opponents once, the AFL placed the teams together in a single 2020 ladder and then broke them up into brackets to attempt a fair fixture for the 2021 season.[2]
The season was played during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the season began, Australia had largely settled into a paradigm of most states maintaining zero COVID-19 cases outside of their international travel quarantine systems; this allowed football games to be played in front of crowds, usually with reduced capacity, and unhindered interstate travel was permitted without quarantine. However, the different state governments often responded quickly to small numbers or even single virus cases being discovered in the community; this meant border restrictions or quarantine periods were at times re-introduced at short notice, impacting interstate travel for games; and, in some cases, that city- or state-wide lockdowns could be imposed within the impacted states,[3] precluding football activities altogether. The season's original nine-round fixture was discarded due to such restrictions after only one week, in favour of a floating fixture released around any restrictions in place at the time.
Home-and-away season
editAll starting times are local time.
Round 1
edit| Round 1 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, 28 January (7:15 pm) | Carlton 4.3 (27) | def. by | Collingwood 5.3 (33) | Ikon Park (crowd: 6,712) | Report |
| Friday, 29 January (7:10 pm) | St Kilda 8.3 (51) | def. | Western Bulldogs 6.6 (42) | RSEA Park (crowd: 2,523) | Report |
| Saturday, 30 January (2:10 pm) | Gold Coast 5.5 (35) | def. by | Melbourne 9.2 (56) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 1,902) | Report |
| Saturday, 30 January (2:10 pm) | West Coast 2.6 (18) | def. by | Adelaide 8.8 (56) | Mineral Resources Park (crowd: 1,929) | Report |
| Sunday, 31 January (12:10 pm) | Geelong 1.3 (9) | def. by | North Melbourne 11.5 (71) | GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 3,701) | Report |
| Sunday, 31 January (2:10 pm) | Richmond 1.6 (12) | def. by | Brisbane Lions 5.11 (41) | Swinburne Centre (crowd: 988) | Report |
| Sunday, 31 January (1:10 pm) | Fremantle 8.10 (58) | def. | Greater Western Sydney 4.4 (28) | Fremantle Oval (crowd: 3,195) | Report |
Round 2
edit| Round 2 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, 5 February (7:45 pm) | Western Bulldogs 6.6 (42) | def. | Carlton 5.6 (36) | VU Whitten Oval (crowd: 3,479) | Report |
| Saturday, 6 February (3:10 pm) | Collingwood 6.9 (45) | def. | Geelong 2.4 (16) | Victoria Park (crowd: 2,938) | Report |
| Saturday, 6 February (5:10 pm) | Melbourne 7.2 (44) | def. | Richmond 2.4 (16) | Casey Fields (crowd: 2,581) | Report |
| Sunday, 7 February (1:10 pm) | North Melbourne 5.6 (36) | def. | St Kilda 1.4 (10) | Arden Street Oval (crowd: 1,977) | Report |
| Sunday, 7 February (2:10 pm) | Brisbane Lions 10.5 (65) | def. | Gold Coast 0.2 (2) | Hickey Park (crowd: 2,101) | Report |
| Sunday, 7 February (5:10 pm) | Greater Western Sydney 2.3 (15) | def. by | Adelaide 9.8 (62) | Blacktown International Sportspark (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Sunday, 7 February (4:15 pm) | Fremantle 2.11 (23) | def. | West Coast 2.2 (14) | Fremantle Oval (crowd: 0) | Report |
| |||||
Round 3
edit| Round 3 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, 12 February (7:10 pm) | Geelong 1.3 (9) | def. by | Western Bulldogs 3.6 (24) | GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 1,124) | Report |
| Saturday, 13 February (3:10 pm) | Greater Western Sydney 2.6 (18) | def. | Gold Coast 1.2 (8) | Blacktown ISP Oval (crowd: 625[7]) | Report |
| Saturday, 13 February (5:10 pm) | St Kilda 2.4 (16) | def. by | Carlton 6.4 (40) | RSEA Park (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Saturday, 13 February (7:10 pm) | Melbourne 9.6 (60) | def. | North Melbourne 8.3 (51) | Casey Fields (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Sunday, 14 February (12:40 pm) | Adelaide 1.7 (13) | def. by | Fremantle 7.1 (43) | Norwood Oval (crowd: 2,717) | Report |
| Sunday, 14 February (3:10 pm) | Richmond 4.7 (31) | def. by | Collingwood 7.6 (48) | Swinburne Centre (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Monday, 15 February (4:15 pm) | Brisbane Lions 10.5 (65) | def. | West Coast 2.8 (20) | Hickey Park (crowd: 0) | Report |
| |||||
Round 4
edit| Round 4 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, 19 February (7:10 pm) | St Kilda 7.9 (51) | def. | Geelong 3.4 (22) | RSEA Park (crowd: 1,454) | Report |
| Saturday, 20 February (3:10 pm) | Carlton 8.3 (51) | def. | Richmond 7.4 (46) | Ikon Park (crowd: 2,212) | Report |
| Saturday, 20 February (2:10 pm) | Fremantle 7.13 (55) | def. | Gold Coast 1.0 (6) | Fremantle Oval (crowd: 2,410) | Report |
| Saturday, 20 February (7:10 pm) | North Melbourne 0.8 (8) | def. by | Collingwood 4.4 (28) | Marvel Stadium (crowd: 2,254) | Report |
| Sunday, 21 February (12:10 pm) | Brisbane Lions 5.3 (33) | def. by | Adelaide 6.9 (45) | Hickey Park (crowd: 1,518[9]) | Report |
| Sunday, 21 February (3:10 pm) | Western Bulldogs 6.1 (37) | def. | Melbourne 2.12 (24) | VU Whitten Oval (crowd: 3,180) | Report |
| Sunday, 21 February (5:10 pm) | Greater Western Sydney 7.6 (48) | def. | West Coast 4.4 (28) | Blacktown ISP Oval (crowd: 974) | Report |
| |||||
Round 5
edit| Round 5 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, 26 February (7:10 pm) | Geelong 2.1 (13) | def. by | Richmond 9.6 (60) | GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 1,829[10]) | Report |
| Saturday, 27 February (3:10 pm) | Western Bulldogs 7.5 (47) | def. | Greater Western Sydney 3.4 (22) | VU Whitten Oval (crowd: 2,461) | Report |
| Saturday, 27 February (2:10 pm) | Fremantle 1.8 (14) | def. by | Brisbane Lions 3.7 (25) | Fremantle Oval (crowd: 3,423) | Report |
| Saturday, 27 February (7:10 pm) | North Melbourne 9.5 (59) | def. | Carlton 6.1 (37) | UTAS Stadium (crowd: 820) | Report |
| Sunday, 28 February (12:40 pm) | Adelaide 8.13 (61) | def. | St Kilda 1.2 (8) | Norwood Oval (crowd: 2,497[11]) | Report |
| Sunday, 28 February (3:10 pm) | Collingwood 7.7 (49) | def. | Melbourne 1.8 (14) | Victoria Park (crowd: 2,931) | Report |
| Sunday, 28 February (2:10 pm) | West Coast 5.4 (34) | def. | Gold Coast 4.9 (33) | Mineral Resources Park (crowd: 1,119[12]) | Report |
| |||||
Round 6
edit| Round 6 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, 5 March (5:10 pm) | Richmond 5.2 (32) | def. by | North Melbourne 10.7 (67) | Swinburne Centre (crowd: 803) | Report |
| Saturday, 6 March (3:10 pm) | Greater Western Sydney 2.5 (17) | def. by | Brisbane Lions 7.13 (55) | Manuka Oval (crowd: 1,847) | Report |
| Saturday, 6 March (4:40 pm) | Adelaide 13.7 (85) | def. | Gold Coast 2.3 (15) | Norwood Oval (crowd: 2,087) | Report |
| Saturday, 6 March (7:10 pm) | Melbourne 9.12 (66) | def. | St Kilda 3.4 (22) | Casey Fields (crowd: 1,096) | Report |
| Sunday, 7 March (12:40 pm) | Carlton 10.4 (64) | def. | Geelong 4.7 (31) | Ikon Park (crowd: 1,764) | Report |
| Sunday, 7 March (2:40 pm) | Collingwood 7.9 (51) | def. | Western Bulldogs 2.3 (15) | Victoria Park (crowd: 3,017[14]) | Report |
| Sunday, 7 March (1:40 pm) | West Coast 1.2 (8) | def. by | Fremantle 11.9 (75) | Optus Stadium (crowd: 9,552[15]) | Report |
| |||||
Round 7
edit| Round 7 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, 12 March (6:40 pm) | Gold Coast 4.2 (26) | def. by | Richmond 6.5 (41) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 907[17]) | Report |
| Saturday, 13 March (3:10 pm) | St Kilda 3.7 (25) | def. by | Greater Western Sydney 7.3 (45) | RSEA Park (crowd: 791[18]) | Report |
| Saturday, 13 March (5:10 pm) | North Melbourne 5.7 (37) | def. | Western Bulldogs 3.8 (26) | North Hobart Oval (crowd: 1,034[19]) | Report |
| Saturday, 13 March (7:10 pm) | Melbourne 6.7 (43) | def. | Adelaide 2.3 (15) | Casey Fields (crowd: 445[20]) | Report |
| Sunday, 14 March (1:10 pm) | Carlton 6.5 (41) | def. by | Fremantle 6.9 (45) | Ikon Park (crowd: 2,048) | Report |
| Sunday, 14 March (3:10 pm) | Brisbane Lions 4.11 (35) | def. | Collingwood 4.8 (32) | VU Whitten Oval (crowd: 0) | Report |
| Monday, 15 March (2:10 pm) | West Coast 8.5 (53) | def. | Geelong 2.2 (14) | Mineral Resources Park (crowd: 848[21]) | Report |
| |||||
Round 8
edit| Round 8 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, 19 March (5:10 pm) | Gold Coast 4.3 (27) | def. by | Carlton 13.9 (87) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 272[23]) | Report |
| Saturday, 20 March (1:10 pm) | Geelong 1.3 (9) | def. by | Greater Western Sydney 2.4 (16) | GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 963) | Report |
| Saturday, 20 March (3:10 pm) | Collingwood 8.11 (59) | def. | St Kilda 2.1 (13) | Victoria Park (crowd: 2,228) | Report |
| Saturday, 20 March (4:10 pm) | Brisbane Lions 4.11 (35) | def. | North Melbourne 2.8 (20) | Gabba (crowd: 6,613) | Report |
| Sunday, 21 March (12:40 pm) | Richmond 5.12 (42) | def. | West Coast 5.4 (34) | Swinburne Centre (crowd: 619[24]) | Report |
| Sunday, 21 March (3:40 pm) | Adelaide 12.6 (78) | def. | Western Bulldogs 3.4 (22) | Norwood Oval (crowd: 1,749[25]) | Report |
| Sunday, 21 March (3:10 pm) | Fremantle 4.8 (32) | def. by | Melbourne 5.7 (37) | Fremantle Oval (crowd: 2,233[7]) | Report |
Round 9
edit| Round 9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, 26 March (5:10 pm) | Western Bulldogs 7.3 (45) | def. | Richmond 5.2 (32) | VU Whitten Oval (crowd: 1,985[27]) | Report |
| Saturday, 27 March (1:10 pm) | North Melbourne 4.6 (30) | def. | Fremantle 4.5 (29) | Arden Street Oval (crowd: 1,223) | Report |
| Saturday, 27 March (3:10 pm) | Melbourne 6.2 (38) | def. | Brisbane Lions 6.0 (36) | Casey Fields (crowd: 743[7]) | Report |
| Saturday, 27 March (4:10 pm) | Gold Coast 3.6 (24) | def. by | Geelong 6.5 (41) | Metricon Stadium (crowd: 1,506[28]) | Report |
| Sunday, 28 March (12:10 pm) | Adelaide 4.7 (31) | def. | Collingwood 2.5 (17) | Norwood Oval (crowd: 2,314[29]) | Report |
| Sunday, 28 March (4:10 pm) | Greater Western Sydney 4.7 (31) | def. by | Carlton 4.8 (32) | Blacktown ISP Oval (crowd: 903[30]) | Report |
| Sunday, 28 March (3:10 pm) | West Coast 3.2 (20) | def. by | St Kilda 11.10 (76) | Mineral Resources Park (crowd: 809[31]) | Report |
Ladder
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adelaide | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 446 | 214 | 208.4 | 28 | Finals series |
| 2 | Brisbane Lions (P) | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 390 | 200 | 195.0 | 28 | |
| 3 | Collingwood | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 362 | 190 | 190.5 | 28 | |
| 4 | Melbourne | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 382 | 293 | 130.4 | 28 | |
| 5 | Fremantle | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 374 | 202 | 185.1 | 24 | |
| 6 | North Melbourne | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 379 | 266 | 142.5 | 24 | |
| 7 | Carlton | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 415 | 330 | 125.8 | 20 | |
| 8 | Western Bulldogs | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 300 | 340 | 88.2 | 20 | |
| 9 | Greater Western Sydney | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 240 | 324 | 74.1 | 16 | |
| 10 | Richmond | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 312 | 369 | 84.6 | 12 | |
| 11 | St Kilda | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 272 | 391 | 69.6 | 12 | |
| 12 | West Coast | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 229 | 432 | 53.0 | 8 | |
| 13 | Geelong | 9 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 164 | 408 | 40.2 | 4 | |
| 14 | Gold Coast | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 176 | 482 | 36.5 | 0 |
Updated to match(es) played on 17 March 2021. Source: Womens.AFL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers
Progression by round
edit- Numbers highlighted in green indicates the team finished the round inside the top 6.
- Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished in first place for that round.
- Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished in last place for that round.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adelaide | 43 | 83 | 86 | 124 | 164 | 204 | 204 | 243 | 281 |
| 2 | Brisbane Lions | 42 | 81 | 121 | 123 | 162 | 203 | 242 | 281 | 282 |
| 3 | Collingwood | 46 | 86 | 123 | 162 | 201 | 241 | 243 | 282 | 283 |
| 4 | Melbourne | 45 | 84 | 124 | 125 | 127 | 166 | 206 | 245 | 284 |
| 5 | Fremantle | 44 | 85 | 122 | 161 | 163 | 202 | 241 | 244 | 245 |
| 6 | North Melbourne | 41 | 82 | 85 | 87 | 126 | 165 | 205 | 206 | 246 |
| 7 | Carlton | 09 | 09 | 48 | 88 | 88 | 128 | 128 | 167 | 207 |
| 8 | Western Bulldogs | 08 | 47 | 87 | 126 | 165 | 167 | 167 | 168 | 208 |
| 9 | Greater Western Sydney | 011 | 011 | 410 | 810 | 810 | 810 | 129 | 169 | 169 |
| 10 | Richmond | 013 | 012 | 011 | 011 | 411 | 411 | 810 | 1210 | 1210 |
| 11 | St Kilda | 47 | 48 | 49 | 89 | 89 | 89 | 811 | 812 | 1211 |
| 12 | West Coast | 012 | 010 | 012 | 012 | 412 | 412 | 812 | 811 | 812 |
| 13 | Geelong | 014 | 014 | 014 | 013 | 014 | 013 | 014 | 014 | 413 |
| 14 | Gold Coast | 010 | 013 | 013 | 014 | 013 | 014 | 013 | 013 | 014 |
Finals series
edit| Qualifying Finals | Preliminary Finals | Grand Final | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Adelaide | 5.3 (33) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Melbourne | 5.10 (40) | Melbourne | 1.9 (15) | ||||||||||
| 5 | Fremantle | 3.5 (23) | Adelaide | 3.2 (20) | ||||||||||
| Brisbane Lions | 6.2 (38) | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Brisbane Lions | 7.3 (45) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Collingwood | 7.8 (50) | Collingwood | 6.5 (41) | ||||||||||
| 6 | North Melbourne | 7.2 (44) | ||||||||||||
Qualifying finals
edit| Qualifying finals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QF B: Saturday, 3 April (1:05 pm) | Melbourne 5.10 (40) | def. | Fremantle 3.5 (23) | Casey Fields (crowd: 1,174[32]) | Report |
| QF A: Saturday, 3 April (3:10 pm) | Collingwood 7.8 (50) | def. | North Melbourne 7.2 (44) | Victoria Park (crowd: 3,010) | Report |
Preliminary finals
edit| Preliminary finals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PF1: Saturday, 10 April (1:40 pm) | Adelaide 5.3 (33) | def. | Melbourne 1.9 (15) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 6,382[33]) | Report |
| PF2: Saturday, 10 April (4:10 pm) | Brisbane Lions 7.3 (45) | def. | Collingwood 6.5 (41) | Gabba (crowd: 4,435[34]) | Report |
Grand final
edit| Grand Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 17 April (1:30 pm) | Adelaide 3.2 (20) | def. by | Brisbane Lions 6.2 (38) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 22,934) | Report |
Win–loss table
edit| + | Win | Qualified for finals | |
| - | Loss | X | Bye |
| Draw | Eliminated |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | QF | PF | GF | Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide | WCE 38 |
GWS 47 |
Frem 30 |
BL 12 |
StK 53 |
GCS 70 |
Melb 28 |
WB 56 |
Coll 14 |
X | Melb 18 |
BL 18 |
2 |
| Brisbane Lions | Rich 29 |
GCS 63 |
WCE 45 |
Adel 12 |
Frem 11 |
GWS 38 |
Coll 3 |
NM 15 |
Melb 2 |
X | Coll 4 |
Adel 18 |
1 |
| Carlton | Coll 6 |
WB 6 |
StK 24 |
Rich 5 |
NM 22 |
Geel 33 |
Frem 4 |
GCS 60 |
GWS 1 |
X | X | X | 7 |
| Collingwood | Carl 6 |
Geel 29 |
Rich 17 |
NM 20 |
Melb 35 |
WB 36 |
BL 3 |
StK 46 |
Adel 14 |
NM 6 |
BL 4 |
X | 3 |
| Fremantle | GWS 30 |
WCE 9 |
Adel 30 |
GCS 49 |
BL 11 |
WCE 67 |
Carl 4 |
Melb 5 |
NM 1 |
Melb 17 |
X | X | 5 |
| Geelong | NM 62 |
Coll 29 |
WB 15 |
StK 29 |
Rich 47 |
Carl 33 |
WCE 39 |
GWS 7 |
GCS 17 |
X | X | X | 13 |
| Gold Coast | Melb 21 |
BL 63 |
GWS 10 |
Frem 49 |
WCE 1 |
Adel 70 |
Rich 15 |
Carl 60 |
Geel 17 |
X | X | X | 14 |
| Greater Western Sydney | Frem 30 |
Adel 47 |
GCS 10 |
WCE 20 |
WB 25 |
BL 38 |
StK 20 |
Geel 7 |
Carl 1 |
X | X | X | 9 |
| Melbourne | GCS 21 |
Ric 28 |
NM 9 |
WB 13 |
Coll 35 |
StK 44 |
Adel 28 |
Frem 5 |
BL 2 |
Frem 17 |
Adel 18 |
X | 4 |
| North Melbourne | Geel 62 |
StK 26 |
Melb 9 |
Coll 20 |
Carl 22 |
Rich 35 |
WB 11 |
BL 15 |
Frem 1 |
Coll 6 |
X | X | 6 |
| Richmond | BL 29 |
Melb 28 |
Coll 17 |
Carl 5 |
Geel 47 |
NM 35 |
GCS 15 |
WCE 8 |
WB 13 |
X | X | X | 10 |
| St Kilda | WB 9 |
NM 26 |
Carl 24 |
Geel 29 |
Adel 53 |
Melb 44 |
GWS 20 |
Coll 46 |
WCE 56 |
X | X | X | 11 |
| West Coast | Adel 38 |
Frem 9 |
BL 45 |
GWS 20 |
GCS 1 |
Frem 67 |
Geel 39 |
Rich 8 |
StK 56 |
X | X | X | 12 |
| Western Bulldogs | StK 9 |
Carl 6 |
Geel 15 |
Melb 13 |
GWS 25 |
Coll 36 |
NM 11 |
Adel 56 |
Rich 13 |
X | X | X | 8 |
Awards
editLeague awards
edit- The league best and fairest was jointly awarded to Kiara Bowers of Fremantle and Brianna Davey of Collingwood, who polled 15 votes each.[35]
- The leading goalkicker was awarded to Darcy Vescio of Carlton, who kicked 16 goals during the home and away season.[36]
- The Rising Star was awarded to Tyla Hanks of Melbourne.[37]
- The best on ground medal in the AFL Women's Grand Final was won by Kate Lutkins of Brisbane Lions.[38]
- The goal of the year was awarded to Courtney Hodder of Brisbane Lions.[39]
- The mark of the year was awarded to Danielle Ponter of Adelaide.[39]
- AFLW Players Association awards:
- The most valuable player was awarded to Brianna Davey of Collingwood.[40]
- The most courageous player was awarded to Chelsea Randall of Adelaide.[40]
- The best captain was awarded to Ellie Blackburn of Western Bulldogs.[40]
- The best first year player was awarded to Ellie McKenzie of Richmond.[40]
- The AFLW Coaches Association awards:
- The champion player of the year was awarded to Kiara Bowers of Fremantle.[41]
- The senior coach of the year was awarded to Craig Starcevich of Brisbane Lions.[42]
- Brianna Davey was named captain of the All-Australian team. Twelve of the fourteen clubs had at least one representative in the 21-woman team.[43]
- The minor premiership was won by Adelaide.
- The wooden spoon was "won" by Gold Coast.
Best and fairests
editLeading goalkickers
edit- Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the player led the season's goal kicking tally at the end of that round.
| Rank | Player | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darcy Vescio | Carlton | 11 | 01 | 01 | 34 | 26 | 28 | 19 | 514 | 216 | 16 |
| 2 | Gemma Houghton | Fremantle | 33 | 14 | 26 | 06 | 06 | 511 | 112 | 113 | 114 | 14 |
| Chloe Molloy | Collingwood | 22 | 13 | 14 | 26 | 39 | 211 | 011 | 213 | 114 | ||
| Katie Brennan | Richmond | 00 | 00 | 00 | 22 | 35 | 16 | 39 | 211 | 314 | ||
| 5 | Dakota Davidson | Brisbane Lions | 11 | 45 | 27 | 18 | 08 | 210 | 010 | 111 | 213 | 13 |
| 6 | Erin Phillips | Adelaide | 22 | 13 | 14 | 48 | 19 | 211 | 011 | 112 | 012 | 12 |
| Isabel Huntington | Western Bulldogs | 22 | 13 | 14 | 26 | 39 | 09 | 211 | 011 | 112 | ||
| 8 | Kate Hore | Melbourne | 22 | 24 | 15 | 05 | 05 | 16 | 39 | 211 | 011 | 11 |
| 9 | Courtney Wakefield | Richmond | 11 | 01 | 12 | 35 | 27 | 18 | 19 | 09 | 110 | 10 |
| Cora Staunton | Greater Western Sydney | 00 | 00 | 00 | 44 | 04 | 04 | 37 | 18 | 210 |
Source:[45]
Coach changes
edit| Club | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Coast | David Lake | Resigned[46] | 11 April 2021 | Cameron Joyce[47] | 2 June 2021 |
| Geelong | Paul Hood | Resigned[48] | 10 May 2021 | Daniel Lowther[49] | 29 June 2021 |
| St Kilda | Peta Searle | Resigned[50] | 24 June 2021 | Nick Dal Santo[51] | 2 August 2021 |
| West Coast | Daniel Pratt | End of contract | 7 September 2021 | Michael Prior[52] | 7 September 2021 |
Club leadership
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ^ "AFLW scraps controversial conference system, introduces ticketed matches for 2021 season". ABC News. 10 December 2020.
- ^ "AFLW 2021 season: Conferences out, $10 tickets, start date revealed". womens.afl. 10 December 2020.
- ^ Tim Richards (8 February 2021). "Australia state border closures: Closing due to a single case feels like 'security theatre'". Traveller.com.au. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ Black, Sarah (5 February 2021). "It's on: Dockers and Eagles match to go ahead in R2". AFL Women's. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
- ^ "Brisbane Lions hold Gold Coast Suns to lowest score in AFLW history, North Melbourne beat St Kilda to stay unbeaten". ABC News. 7 February 2020.
- ^ "AFLW - Lowest Match Aggregates". australianfootball.com. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
- ^ a b c "AFL Record – AFLW Finals Week 2". issuu. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
- ^ "R3 Update: Tigers to host Pies, Lions-Eagles on hold". AFLW. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
- ^ "AFLW: Adelaide Crows d Brisbane Lions". Austadiums. 21 February 2021.
- ^ "AFLW: Richmond d Geelong Cats". Austadiums. 26 February 2021.
- ^ "2021 AFL Women's Premiership Season". Australian Football. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- ^ "AFLW: West Coast Eagles d Gold Coast Suns". Austadiums. 28 February 2021.
- ^ "Richmond scores historic first AFLW win with 47-point thrashing of Geelong". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 26 February 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
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