AS THE STANDARD of the NAB AFLW competition continues to rise, so does the difficulty associated with selecting the Team of the Week.

It was a round for the forwards, while the usual suspects put their hands up for midfield selection.

Four teams – Carlton, Collingwood, Richmond and St Kilda – dominated selection with standout performers, having three nods apiece.

The team is selected to mirror the All-Australian side: five defenders, six midfielders (including a ruck), five forwards and five interchange players.  

Like the All-Australian team, it has players selected in general categories, rather than in traditional positions. The 16-a-side set-up often means teams play with varying configurations, making set selections (e.g wings and flanks) difficult. 

DEFENDERS

Kerryn Harrington (Carlton), Stacey Livingstone (Collingwood), Breanna Koenen (Brisbane), Tilly Lucas-Rodd (St Kilda), Bec Miller (Richmond)

After a comparatively slow start to the season, Harrington (18 disposals, 10 intercepts) was back to her commanding best, while Livingstone (16 disposals, eight marks) held the fort for the Pies.

Lucas-Rodd (19 disposals, six intercepts) caused plenty of havoc on the rebound, Koenen (14 and nine) stood up under enormous pressure while Miller (10 and nine) had her best AFLW performance.

MIDFIELDERS

Rhiannon Watt (St Kilda, ruck), Kiara Bowers (Fremantle), Monique Conti (Richmond), Brianna Davey (Collingwood), Karen Paxman (Melbourne), Ebony Marinoff (Adelaide)

Watt may have recorded just 13 hitouts, but her follow-up work was first class, finishing with 16 disposals, five clearances and four marks.

Conti was a class above with 26 disposals and eight clearances, while Bowers most likely sewed up another three votes with a 17-disposal, 15-tackle and six-clearance effort. 

Paxman (27 disposals, eight clearances) ran riot, Davey (31 touches, seven clearances) brought her own footy to Marvel Stadium and Marinoff (28 disposals, 448m gained) had a similarly enjoyable game against Brisbane.

FORWARDS

Caitlin Greiser (St Kilda), Erin Phillips (Adelaide), Cora Staunton (GWS), Darcy Vescio (Carlton), Courtney Wakefield (Richmond)

There were goals aplenty in round four, and it's reflected in the team of the week.

Veterans Staunton and Phillips showed the rest of the competition how it's done, booting an equal career-high four goals each.

Vescio and Wakefield traded blows at either end of Ikon Park, kicking three apiece, while Greiser also recorded three goals against the Cats.

INTERCHANGE

Chloe Molloy (Collingwood), Ellie Blackburn (Western Bulldogs), Alyce Parker (GWS), Maddy Prespakis (Carlton), Gabby O'Sullivan (Fremantle)

Prespakis (19 disposals, four clearances, two goals) and Blackburn (16 disposals, one goal) both stood up when their respective games were on the line, while Parker (25, six tackles, five clearances) had a well-rounded game.

In a week for the forwards, the class of Molloy (12 disposals at 83 per cent, two goals) and the hard-running Gabby O'Sullivan (16, six score involvements, two goals) were crucial to their teams' success.

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