THE AFLW season is only a few weeks away and with it comes the return of AFLW Fantasy. And while defenders may not be the headline-grabbing accumulators of the League, the backline is often where match-ups are won or lost.

This year, the top premiums look to have separated themselves from the pack, with just six defenders averaging over 70 Fantasy points in 2025. But looking a little deeper, there are several challengers vying deeper in the pool for that 'premium' tag that won't cost a small fortune.

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Coaches who ran with Niamh McLaughlin, Sarah Goodwin or Shelley Heath in defence last season had a leg up on the rest of the competition, all offering fantastic value for money. But with all three now listed as midfielders in 2026, we need to look for the next Fantasy breakout candidate.

Projected top six

1. Zipporah Fish (DEF, $878,000) – 81.8 average
2. Maddison Gay (DEF, $795,000) – 80.5 average
3. Tilly Lucas-Rodd (DEF, $880,000) – 82.0 average
4. Maeve Chaplin (DEF, $796,000) – 74.2 average
5. Tarni White (DEF, $869,000) – 81.0 average
6. Serene Watson (DEF, $810,000) – 75.5 average

Zipporah Fish (Sydney, $878,000)
After one of the best debut seasons we have seen in the AFLW, Zippy Fish looks set to break the glass ceiling for AFLW Fantasy defenders. Traditionally defenders have been the lowest-scoring line in Fantasy, but that might be changing with the evolving game styles we see in the AFLW these days. Fish brings pace and energy across half-back, leading the competition for metres gained in 2025 and claiming the Telstra AFLW Rising Star award. She also delivered five 90+ Fantasy scores, with a ceiling of 116 against North Melbourne. A tougher fixture for Sydney this season will only keep the ball in her half of the ground, so I am excited to see what heights this youngster can reach.

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Maddison Gay (Essendon, $795,000)
Essendon was in trouble without its backline general last season, with Gay out of action for most of the season with an ACL sprain. But from all reports Gay is fit and firing this pre-season, even taking part in the upcoming AFLW Australia versus Ireland clash. Gay is a reliable interceptor and an even better kick. She has a ceiling like few other defenders, scoring 124 Fantasy points just four games ago in her career against Carlton in 2024. At the time of writing, she currently sits as the fifth-highest selected player in the game with 61 per cent ownership and it's easy to see why.

Tarni White (Collingwood, $869,000)
White's Fantasy breakout in 2025 was quite unheralded, given her midfielder status and awkward price bracket. She moved from a midfield role to a defensive distributor role for the Pies - a role that saw her named in her first All-Australian squad in 2025. In doing so, she improved both her ceiling and consistency with a new career-high average of 81. She flourished in tough match-ups against North (120 Fantasy points), Sydney (100), Hawthorn (99) and West Coast (87), as well as against Richmond (104). It is hard to see who else at Collingwood is pressing to take the role from her, so expect White to back up her impressive scoring.

Under-priced premiums

Ella Heads (Port Adelaide, $701,000)
Port Adelaide's contested style of football has been dour for Fantasy, but the arrival of new coach Glenn Strachan has piqued plenty of interest. Heads is a talented young distributor who excelled at Sydney, but took a small step back in her first season at the Power. She is one of a number of players at Port Adelaide screaming for a more possession-heavy style of football that allow her talent and footy IQ to flourish. The game style brought by coach Strachan is one of the biggest watches of the pre-season, and if the cards fall right, Heads could immediately jump into contention as a top-line defender.

Britney Gutknecht (Western Bulldogs, $647,000)
The Bulldogs have delivered plenty of breakout Fantasy defenders across the years and Gutknecht was the huge improver of 2025. Shifting out of the midfield to run across half-back, Gutknecht put up career-best numbers for disposals, marks and metres gained on her way to a 60.3 average. The real question is whether the role will hold, given the merry-go-round we have seen in previous years. Gutknecht posted back-to-back scores in the 30s to finish 2025 - was this coach Tamara Hyett experimenting once again, given the dream of finals was out of reach? Only time will tell.

Others to consider: Erika O'Shea (North Melbourne, $704,000), Charlie Thomas (West Coast Eagles, $702,000), Rebecca Webster (Geelong, $633,000), Katie Lynch (Gold Coast, $622,000), Alana Gee (St Kilda, $614,000)

Mid-priced madness

Daisy D'Arcy (Gold Coast, $573,000)
A torn ACL put a damper on D'Arcy's breakout 2024 season, but all to the benefit of AFLW Fantasy coaches. After sitting out the 2025 season in rehabilitation, D'Arcy is now significantly underpriced for what she can deliver. Her last full season saw her average 66.8, in a hybrid half-back and midfield role. We saw Niamh McLaughlin play that role in 2025, so it will be interesting to see how Rhyce Shaw shuffles the magnets around with a much deeper midfield pool. D'Arcy will return as one of the best kicks at the Suns in 2026, so wherever she plays they will want the ball in her hands.

Chantel Emonson (Geelong, $470,000)
Another who missed the 2025 season (inactive due to pregnancy), Emonson also presents as a vastly underpriced option for our defence. Her last two seasons saw her average 61.2 (2023) and 54.7 (2024). The Cats struggled to transition the ball out of defence last season, and that movement is something new coach Mick Stinear will be looking at closely this off-season. Emonson has also been a prominent kick-in taker in her time at Geelong, as both a great decision maker and long kick.

Nicole Bresnehan (North Melbourne, $529,000)
Bresnehan is an underrated leader of the North Melbourne juggernaut, despite missing most of the 2025 season with hamstring and ACL injuries. She mostly locks down the opposition's key forward, but can be part of that dangerous run and drive off half-back that the Kangaroos have become known for. As such, expect her scoring to be somewhat erratic but it only takes a couple good games to generate enough cash to help you reach the top-line players. There are few players at her price that are an immediate lock in a premiership side like North, and is definitely one to consider in 2026.

Others to consider: Jenna Richardson (Hawthorn, $573,000), Molly McDonald (St Kilda, $569,000), Nat Grider (Brisbane, $544,000)

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Rookie radar

Every side will want a player close to $200,000 on their benches, but there are a few great options you may want to consider fielding in your last defender spot this season.

Scarlett Johnson (GWS, $295,000)
The No.2 pick of the 2025 Telstra AFLW Draft has all the tools to be a star, both as an elite aerial presence and a damaging outside running player. The young Giant has been trialled all over the field this pre-season and where she lands is a mystery at this point, but she will be part of the best 21 at the Giants. After seeing the impact of similar players like Havana Harris, Poppy Scholz and Charlotte Riggs in 2025, as well as a Fantasy average of 100 in the Talent League, this talented youngster should get a look in for most coaches.

Georgia Stubs (Richmond, $200,000)
The Tigers were rueing their lack of pace in the back half last season, as they struggled to defend teams transitioning the ball through their defensive wall. New coach Jarrad Donders has shuffled the magnets in the off-season, and I expect former North Melbourne midfielder Georgia Stubs to land across half-back. Her defensive pressure as a junior was elite, and her pace could form a powerful duo with fellow Tiger Montana Beruldsen.

Mizuki Brothwell (Western Bulldogs, $235,000)
Taken at pick No.14 in last year's draft, Brothwell is surprisingly new to football. She is incredibly athletic, both a tall intercepting presence in defence but offering a dangerous run and carry game. In just her third year of playing football, Brothwell was named the Marsh AFL National Championships All-Australian half-back. If the talent we have seen is just the tip of the iceberg of Brothwell's capabilities, Mizuki could quickly become a star of the competition.

Others to consider: Mikaylah Antony (Hawthorn, $200,000), Holly Egan (Fremantle, $200,000), Meg Lappin (Brisbane, $200,000)

Jono's defenders

So far, my defence has a couple of premium players but is mostly focusing on obtaining value on the player's starting price. D'Arcy and Emonson both have 10+ points upside even before factoring in any role improvement, while Heads is a more speculative pick that could pay off big. The rookies I have selected all fill roles their clubs need, particularly Stubs with her speed for Richmond's half-back line.

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