THE SECOND season of the NAB AFL Women’s competition starts on Friday and some of AFL Media’s reporters have put their reputations on the line by predicting what will happen this year.
Sarah Black
Premier: Melbourne
Runner-up: Carlton
Best and fairest: Chelsea Randall (Adelaide)
Rising Star: Isabel Huntington (Western Bulldogs)
Leading goalkicker: Katie Brennan (Western Bulldogs, 18 goals)
Look out for: Five teams still in the running for a Grand Final berth in the final round.
AFLW: Your complete guide to round one
Adam Curley
Premier: Western Bulldogs
Runner-up: Melbourne
Best and fairest: Katie Brennan (Western Bulldogs)
Rising Star: Isabel Huntington (Western Bulldogs)
Leading goalkicker: Cora Staunton (Greater Western Sydney, 18 goals)
Look out for: The Irish media buzz following Giants recruit and Gaelic footy superstar Cora Staunton.
Lee Gaskin
Premier: Carlton
Runner-up: Adelaide
Best and fairest: Daisy Pearce (Melbourne)
Rising Star: Eloise Jones (Adelaide)
Leading goalkicker: Ruth Wallace (Adelaide, 14 goals)
Look out for: The skills of the players to go through the roof. They’ve had a full off-season to build on what was a wonderful inaugural season.
Ben Guthrie
Premier: Western Bulldogs
Runner-up: Melbourne
Best and fairest: Daisy Pearce (Melbourne)
Rising Star: Monique Conti (Western Bulldogs)
Leading goalkicker: Tayla Harris (Carlton, 17 goals)
Look out for: The 'last-touch' rule will help open up the play and make for higher scoring.
Monique Conti is set to be one of the rising stars of AFLW. Picture: AFL Photos
Travis King
Premier: Melbourne
Runner-up: Adelaide
Best and fairest: Kara Donnellan
Rising Star: Isabel Huntington (Western Bulldogs)
Leading goalkicker: Sarah Perkins (Adelaide, 16 goals)
Look out for: The previous record attendance for an Australian women's sporting event to be smashed by West Australian footy fans when Fremantle hosts Collingwood at Optus Stadium on February 10.
Bruce Matthews
Premier: Melbourne
Runner-up: Adelaide
Best and fairest: Karen Paxman (Melbourne)
Rising Star: Chloe Molloy (Collingwood)
Leading goalkicker: Tayla Harris (Carlton, 16 goals)
Look out for: 'Last-touch' out-of-bounds rule clearing congestion, in particular providing forwards like Harris time and space to mark on the lead or in a one-on-one contest.
Marc McGowan
Premier: Melbourne
Runner-up: Adelaide
Best and fairest: Daisy Pearce (Melbourne)
Rising Star: Isabel Huntington (Western Bulldogs)
Leading goalkicker: Sarah Perkins (Adelaide, 16 goals)
Look out for: Crows forward Jasmyn Hewett to put the spotlight on Darwin football.
Tom Pountney
Premier: Carlton
Runner-up: Adelaide
Best and fairest: Daisy Pearce (Melbourne)
Rising Star: Chloe Molloy (Collingwood)
Leading goalkicker: Tayla Harris (Carlton, 10 goals)
Look out for: A far quicker brand of football than last season with nimble on-and off-ball movement – especially in the wide channels.
Michael Whiting
Premier: Adelaide
Runner-up: Melbourne
Best and fairest: Erin Phillips (Adelaide)
Rising Star: Isabel Huntington (Western Bulldogs)
Leading goalkicker: Darcy Vescio (Carlton, 16 goals)
Look out for: The scoring to climb. Another pre-season in a semi-professional environment will improve the skills and the ability to break through congestion.
