DEFENDERS are the first empty space to fill in our teams, and they are also the first cab off the rank for a deep dive this AFLW Fantasy pre-season. 

Picking the right defenders can set your team well on the path to success – there are more players capable of really low scores in this line than in any other line, so making sure you can avoid those players is vital. 

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There are some cracking options to pick this year, but if you played last season, don't expect to see the same faces: seven of the 15 highest scoring defenders from 2024 have a new position this year!

Projected top five

1. Maddison Gay (DEF, $1,065,000) – 82.3 average
2. Tilly Lucas-Rodd (DEF, $1,043,000) – 80.5 average
3. Serene Watson (DEF, $876,000) – 67.6 average
4. Charlotte Thomas (DEF, $911,000) – 70.4 average
5. Lucy McEvoy (DEF, $846,000) – 65.5 average

Maddison Gay (Essendon, $1,065,000)
She had one of all-time great scoring seasons for a defender in 2024, and Gay looks highly likely to reprise her role as the singularly most important defensive quarterback in the competition. That 82.3 average could arguably improve as well. Essendon will need to control the ball in transition to avoid exposing its ruck deficiency, meaning Gay may score better than her 2024 average (which includes a very quiet 51 in week two), and more closely resemble the 89.7 that she averaged in the final five games.

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Charlotte Thomas (West Coast Eagles, $911,000)
The West Coast young gun has now gone back-to-back seasons as a premium AFLW Fantasy defender, and coaches can likely expect more of the same. As a natural accumulator, she manages to find pockets of space as well as any other defender. In my eyes, there is one big question which hangs over Charlie Thomas: can she still score well in defence if West Coast improves? In the Eagles' four victories in 2024, Thomas only averaged 64.7, compared to 73.6 in their losses.

Serene Watson (St Kilda, $846,000)
If you look up 'meteoric rise' in the Fantasy dictionary, all you will see is a picture of Watson. The ex-Sun looked extremely comfortable in a distribution role for the Saints, particularly after she was let loose to be the No.1 kick-in taker and intercept marker by Nick Dal Santo. An average of 67.6 presents somewhere between five to seven points on value on what Watson is capable of, with a 72 last five and 75 last three average in 2024.

Under-priced premiums

Emma Kearney (North Melbourne, $777,000)
The talismanic North Melbourne defender has consistently defied her age to be a 70-averaging defender. Don't be confused or thrown off by the 41.7 average in 2024 – if you remove her injury-impacted score of two in the week five Richmond game, Kearney averaged 71. Now that she is no longer North's captain, the risk in selecting Kearney lies in the potential that the 35-year-old may be rested in some of the Roos' easier match-ups.

Jade Ellenger (Brisbane, $824,000)
Looking at Ellenger's last five games of the year, including finals, there is a fair bit to like. With four scores above 70, including a high of 84 (in the qualifying final against Hawthorn), a noticeable bump in centre bounce attendances (being cast as an endurance-running tagger), and a new-found tackling affinity, Ellenger looks to be someone capable of hitting scores which will push her into the running for top five scoring defenders. A big pre-season watch on what role is given by the Brisbane coaching staff.

Ella Heads (Port Adelaide, $784,000)
Port Adelaide's newest recruit has featured prominently in our Fantasy sides in her three seasons to date. Sydney will sure rue the loss of this high accumulating half-back, and Port Adelaide will need to replace the retiring Ange Foley. On paper I like the idea that Heads will have a lock on Port Adelaide's kick ins. However, I remain wary of the Power's low mark/high contest/go-forward-at-all-costs gameplan, and what it can do to impact Fantasy scoring for players who rely on uncontested possessions.

Others to consider: Elisabeth Georgostathis (Western Bulldogs, $732,000), Emma Swanson, $752,000, Tamara Smith (Hawthorn, $710,000)

Mid-priced madness

Lucy Cronin (Collingwood, $598,000)
After four low scoring games to start her AFLW Fantasy career, Cronin put herself on the radar of coaches in week four with an exceptional 81 as she took control of the Pies' kick-mark game in defensive 50. Her scoring continued to stay well above that which we expect of rookies from there, averaging 59 for the rest of the season (well up on 46.2 for the season as a whole.) With Cronin looking to be one of Collingwood's more prominent kick-in takers in 2025, she'll feature heavily in our Fantasy sides this pre-season.

Gabriella Pound (Carlton, $658,000)
With Kerryn Peterson missing the entire 2025 season, Pound stands out as one of very few distributors in Carlton's defensive group (based on what we know so far). Unless we see a midfielder or forward drop behind the ball permanently (possibly defensive time for Mimi Hill or Darcy Vescio), it's not unreasonable to suspect that Pound is capable of a mid-60s average (she hit a 69.7 average without Peterson in the side last year). I'll be laser focused on the Carlton backline this pre-season.

Maggie Gorham (Western Bulldogs, $631,000)
The duo of Gorham and Georgostathis managed to score like premium defenders in the second half of 2024, after a subtle gameplan shift from the Bulldogs saw greater prominence given to maintaining possession with 45 degree kicks out of defensive 50. Gorham is priced more cheaply than Georgostathis, so should intrigue coaches needing to find value (to afford some high-priced midfielders). If the Bulldogs are again looking to use short kicks to exit defence, I anticipate that Gorham is capable of the 65 average that we saw in her final five games last year.

Others to consider: Annabel Johnson (West Coast Eagles, $466,000), Ciara Fitzgerald (Carlton, $688,000), Jordyn Allen (Collingwood, $628,000), Rachel Kearns (Geelong, $519,000).

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Rookie radar

Most coaches look to have a sub $450,000 player as both their fifth defender and on their bench, so here are a few of the top options to consider.

Eleanor Brown (Greater Western Sydney, $425,000)
The Giants saw a mass exodus in their defence this past off-season. Brown looks set to immediately fill that gap, leaving the Western Bulldogs, where she last played in 2022. With averages of 44, 50.7 and 54.8 in her past three seasons (all in short games), if Brown suits up for round one, this experienced "rookie" should get a look in for most coaches. 

Isabel Bacon (Richmond, $321,000)
It's never ideal to see that a Fantasy option only average 24.7 points per game without any injury affected scores. Never fear, Bacon is being touted as a midfield option for the Tigers who need to replace Eilish Sheerin in their midfield rotation. The midfield move isn't wholly unexpected either, as Bacon played as a midfielder for a good portion of her under-18 seasons, with a talent for tackling (in her final five Coates Talent League games, she had 57 tackles). Lock her into your practice match watchlist. 

Poppy Scholz (Carlton, $400,000)
The Scholz name is fast becoming one that is directly correlated with Fantasy scoring, if the popularity of Scholz among the AFLW Fantasy teams selected since the game launched. The South Australian tall defender/utility should get an immediate look at a best 21 spot in Carlton's defence, which should immediately put her in the sights of coaches. I remain sceptical of her scoring capability, as she only averaged 56.4 in the SANFLW last year for Glenelg and 61 in the national championships.

Others to consider: Tessa Boyd (North Melbourne, $300,000), Meg McDonald (Geelong, $300,000), Vaomua Laloifi (Western Bulldogs, $307,000).

Liam's defenders

So far, my defence is looking to start with players who present value on their starting price, based on what they averaged in the second half of 2024. As much as I see Gay as having value on her I have not been able to justify spending the cash on one of the $900k+ defenders, as I push the cash into my midfield. For the rookies, I believe that Brown is a walk-up starter for GWS, and there will be a spot for her to score in that backline, and Bacon has the most positive storylines of the pre-season to date.

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