CAN ADELAIDE make it three in four years, or will the return of Daisy Pearce signal that it's finally Melbourne's time to shine?
The AFLW players are divided, with one representative from each club surveyed by womens.afl as to who will win the 2020 flag. Four nominated the Crows, while three believed the Dees will salute, despite having not yet played finals.
PLAYERS' SURVEY Who is the best ruck in AFLW?
PLAYERS' SURVEY Who is the best midfielder in AFLW?
PLAYERS' SURVEY Who is the best forward in AFLW?
PLAYERS' SURVEY Who is the best defender in AFLW?
Adelaide will have to overcome the loss of inspirational co-captain Chelsea Randall (ACL), while competition superstar Erin Phillips, ruck Rhiannon Metcalfe and young gun Chloe Scheer are all in a race against time to recover from their knee reconstructions.
Melbourne has widely been regarded as having the most consistent list in the competition over the past three years, and Pearce's return from pregnancy will mean the powerful midfield nucleus of the captain, Karen Paxman and Elise O'Dea will be reunited.
The Demons have been in the running for finals coming into the last round of all three seasons, ultimately finishing third in 2017 and 2018 (missing by percentage), and fourth in Conference A in 2019 (would have qualified for finals if in Conference B).
They've also suffered an injury blow of their own, losing All Australian ruck Lauren Pearce for the first few games of the season due to knee surgery.
A swag of teams also received one nomination each to be crowned premiers in 2020.
Voting results
4 – Adelaide
3 – Melbourne
1 – Brisbane, Fremantle, Geelong, Gold Coast, North Melbourne, Richmond, West Coast
This is part of a series which saw 14 players – one from every club – surveyed anonymously about who they regard as the best in the competition. Check back to womens.afl as more answers are revealed over the coming days.
