ADELAIDE superstar Ebony Marinoff broke nearly every AFLW Fantasy metric after a ground-breaking 2024 season where she averaged 145.

Coming into the 2025 season at a whopping price of $1,878,000 – more than 10 per cent of the AFLW Fantasy salary cap – it begs one important question: how do you afford her?!

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Despite record scoring by defenders and rucks in 2024, the middle of the ground is still the heart of AFLW Fantasy scoring. And with reliable captain scoring remaining a crucial part of delivering massive weekly scores, Marinoff's incredible scoring leaves her averaging 32 points more than the next best player.

AFLW Fantasy coaches are going to be stretched further than ever when managing the $15.5 million salary cap if they want to bring her in, which means you'll need to find plenty of value players across the rest of your squad.

Projected top five

1. Ebony Marinoff (MID, $1,878,000) – 145 average
2. Jasmine Garner (MID, $1,459,000) – 112.6 average
3. Charlie Rowbottom (MID, $1,377,000) – 106.4 average
4. Kiara Bowers (MID, $1,159,000) – DNP last season
5. Ash Riddell (MID, $1,433,000) – 110.6 average

Under the blanket: Laura Gardiner (Sydney, $1,311,000), Ally Anderson (Brisbane, $1,315,000), Mon Conti (Richmond, $1,248,000)

Ebony Marinoff stands heads and shoulders above the rest of the competition, as the premier AFLW Fantasy player of our time. Even dropping 20 points on her average from last season, she would still be the standout captain choice and it will take a brave coach to go against the crowd on this one, with nearly 74 per cent of coaches paying up for her. However, Marinoff has not always been the premier player she is today, with her first seven seasons eclipsed by the scoring of Fremantle powerhouse Kiara Bowers. On return from giving birth in 2024, the tackling machine is looking to help the Dockers charge into finals once more. Her previous two season averages of 111.8 and 121 show she can more than match it with the best, and makes for an easy selection being priced at 89.5. Both Jasmine Garner and Ash Riddell are likely going to be impacted by the arrival of Eilish Sheerin at the club, but I expect both will find a way to continue the dominant displays they've shown over the past few seasons.

Under-priced premiums

Alyce Parker (Greater Western Sydney, $1,204,000)
Once the undisputed leader of a young Giants midfield, Parker took a step back early in 2024 with captain Rebecca Beeson emerging to become a contested ball beast after several disrupted seasons. This created a tale of two halves for Parker – in the first half of the year, she averaged 87.3 with surprise poor scores against the Suns (63) and Sydney (69) when Beeson was at her bullocking best. It wasn't until the back end of the year that the two found their best partnership and clearance game, with Parker managing to score 110+ in three of her last five games. With some greater connection sure to be built over another pre-season, Parker could have five to 10 points of upside coming into 2025.

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Georgie Prespakis (Geelong, $948,000)
A persistent quad injury severely hampered Prespakis throughout her 2024 campaign, limiting her to nine games but more noticeably impacting her usual run and tenacious tackling around stoppage. While she can be prone to copping the occasional tag, Prespakis has all the attributes to rise to the lofty heights of AFLW Fantasy royalty alongside fellow 2021 draftee Charlie Rowbottom. After seasons of 89.4 (season seven) and 96.2 (season eight) in her early career, a healthy pre-season in 2025 will go a long way to further both Geelong's fortunes and her AFLW Fantasy scoring.

Also consider: Ella Roberts (West Coast, $1,195,000), Kate Hore (Melbourne, $1,106,000), Gabby Newton (Fremantle, $982,000), Olivia Purcell (Melbourne, $923,000)

Mid-priced madness

Jessica Fitzgerald (Western Bulldogs, $877,000)
Following a season-ending injury to Ellie Blackburn midway through 2024, Fitzgerald was thrust into a curious role, both starting at centre bounces and taking kick-ins for the Western Bulldogs – truly the best of both worlds for AFLW Fantasy statisticians! With pre-season injuries to midfielders Isabelle Pritchard and captain Deanna Berry, Fitzgerald is likely to reprise the role that had her average 83.4 across seven games in 2024.

Georgia Patrikios (St Kilda, $690,000)
The cavalry is returning to help an overwhelmed Saints midfield in 2025, with Patrikios to deliver a much-needed degree of class. A foot injury kept her out of the game in 2024, leaving her priced at just 53.3. Patrikios will be a staple in the Saints midfield that loves to bring defensive tackling pressure, which could help her not only bounce back to her 2023 average of 66.6 but her career best average of 90 way back in 2021. A big watch is needed in the pre-season to see how much that foot injury has impacted her fitness and whether she will have enough time on ground to develop those big scores.

Also consider: Shineah Goody (Port Adelaide, $825,000), Orla O'Dwyer (Brisbane, $730,000), Lily Mithen (Gold Coast, $710,000), Nicola Xenos (St Kilda, $673,000), Casey Sherriff (Hawthorn, $622,000), Jenna Bruton (North Melbourne, $610,000)

Rookie radar

Ash Centra (Collingwood, $420,000)
The No.1 pick in the 2024 Telstra AFL Draft was the impressive Centra, whose football talents seem to be limitless. A genuine star who can play both as an explosive midfielder or as a tall forward, Centra has enough weapons to have an immediate impact in the AFLW. Her Fantasy prowess is undeniable, with a 47-disposal, four-goal performance in the Coates Talent League capping an incredible junior career where she averaged 103 for Gippsland Power in 2024. While the role may fluctuate for Collingwood as they explore different ways to capitalise on her broad array of skills, there are few with the potential for scoring in the League.

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Zippy Fish (Sydney, $404,000)
More than living up to the hype of her name, the No.5 pick in the 2024 draft has been touted for a role off half-back for the Swans as they search to replace the departed Ella Heads. With her speed and excellent disposal, Fish could be another talent to have instant impact in 2025. Her experience in the WAFLW shows her slight frame is no concern for coaches, averaging 83 in 2024 and interestingly winning 52.5 per cent of her possessions from handball receives, the most of any player with more than one game to their name.

Also consider: Sophie McKay (Carlton, $356,000), Molly O'Hehir (Melbourne, $412,000), Lucia Painter (West Coast, $396,000), Brooke Vickers (Carlton, $393,000), India Rasheed (Adelaide, $372,000), Heidi Talbot (Gold Coast, $316,000), Kayley Kavanagh (West Coast, $300,000)

Jono's midfielders

There is a lot of value among the premium midfielders, with Kiara Bowers and Georgie Prespakis looking set to score well above their price points. And I'll be relying on two high quality draftees in Ash Centra and Zippy Fish to help raise a lot of cash early in the season. This goes a long way to helping me pay up for Ebony Marinoff, the best player in the game and one who I cannot find a way to bet against in 2025 – I am certainly preparing to have the captaincy sitting there for nearly every game this season. Rounding out the midfield brigade is young gun Charlie Rowbottom, who looks to be one of the few top five players that is less likely to have to share her role with an abundance of other midfielders this season (as North Melbourne and Fremantle players may).

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