THE AFLW season is officially underway, and there is a lot to take away from what we saw. With bigger squad sizes, plenty of teams were posting bigger scores than we have ever seen before!
Some huge ceiling scores from premiums really kicked off the high-scoring round of Fantasy, with stars Jasmine Garner (130) and Ebony Marinoff (123) leading the way as always. A number of defenders also posted some big scores, with 11 players outscoring the highest average of any defender last season (82). One of those was Violet Patterson (100 Fantasy points), who top scored across all rookies on the weekend.
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Following the bumper 2024 draft that saw the likes of Zippy Fish, Lucia Painter, Havana Harris and more enter the Fantasy world, the 2025 rookies have started promisingly as well. An unbelievable 43 players made their AFLW debuts on the weekend, with 39 of those drafted since the end of last season (via the Telstra AFLW Draft, Rookie Draft and Pre-Season Draft). We saw handy scores from Ava Usher (78), Chloe Bown (70), Olivia Wolmarans (60), Evie Cowcher (53) and more.
But not everything was incredibly breezy in the Fantasy world - poorer scores from highly owned players Ella Roberts, Elaine Grigg, Laura Gardiner, Lily Quigley and Jacinta Hose have a few coaches searching for answers already. So let's dive in on a few players that left their mark on the first week of the season.
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Top five price rises
1. Violet Patterson (DEF, $461,000): +$165,000
2. Ava Usher (MID, $390,000): +$120,000
3. Lila Keck (FWD, $473,000): +$118,000
4. Imogen Brown (MID, $317,000): +$117,000
5. Marlo Graham (MID, $312,000): +$112,000
Top five price falls
1. Ella Roberts (MID, $958,000): -$132,000
2. Carly Remmos (MID, $607,000): -$128,000
3. Eden Zanker (FWD, $586,000): -$128,000
4. Laura Gardiner (MID, $1,267,000): -$113,000
5. Steph Cain (MID, $534,000): -$112,000
Top targets
Violet Patterson (COL, DEF, $461,000) - 100 Fantasy points
Patterson impressed owners with the infamous rookie ton, collecting 23 disposals and seven marks on Saturday afternoon against Richmond. Pairing with Tarni White (94 Fantasy points), the two played as defensive distributors for the Magpies and combined for 12 rebound 50s and 14 intercept possessions. She now has one of the lowest breakevens in the game at just five, and is likely to be one of the biggest price risers over the next few weeks. No doubt there are concerns over job security, with three big names to return to the Collingwood defensive line-up in the coming weeks, but until then Patterson should be a great scorer you can play on field.
Ava Usher (GCS, MID, $390,000) - 78 Fantasy points
After looking nowhere near it in the practice matches, the No.7 pick was the standout midfield rookie of the pre-season. Playing off half-forward, Usher thrived in the wet weather with 11 contested possessions, four tackles and seven frees for. The lack of CBAs may be of some concern, but sometimes you have to back the quality in (much like we did with Adelaide's Chloe Bown). Usher is a handy midfield rookie pick up for those who have the cash to jump off some of the disappointing rookies of round one.
Havana Harris (GCS, FWD, $696,000) - 86 Fantasy points
Coaches had concerns about Harris in the lead up to round one – 11 debutants is rarely a recipe for winning the inside 50 count and creating opportunities for your key forwards. But despite the inexperienced team and some heavy rain, Harris was a force of nature, reeling in four contested marks to keep herself and the Suns in the game. With her athleticism and height, she will be a nightmare match-up regardless of the opposition and is worth backing in.
Maddison Gay (ESS, DEF, $862,000) - 108 Fantasy points
The backline general of the Bombers didn't disappoint in her return to the fray, collecting 27 touches and seven marks on her way to being the highest scoring defender of round one. Essendon conceded a massive 54 inside 50s to the Lions, and the ball was rarely far from Gay's area of influence. While this is unlikely to be a weekly occurrence, Gay is in terrific touch and started the season underpriced thanks to her knee injuries last season. If you're doing a restructure down back to offload some disappointing scores, Gay is the player to reach for.
Sell
Elaine Grigg (WBD, FWD, $509,000) - 30 Fantasy points
The Bulldogs pulled the wool over plenty of Fantasy coaches' eyes, teasing a midfield role for Grigg in the pre-season that did not eventuate in round one. She had no CBAs and scored her usual lower scores from last season, even with a high half-forward role that pushed up to stoppage on occasion. With the quality of forwards elsewhere, Grigg's inconsistent scoring is worth jumping off.
Jacinta Hose (MEL, RUC, $200,000) - 8 Fantasy points
Hose is starting to put together one of the unluckiest injury runs ever seen. Adding to her ACL and back injuries of the past, Hose managed two injuries in the one match against the Hawks – first a knee knock to the gut, and then a nasty ankle sprain that finished her day. She will be sidelined for eight weeks with that injury, so either trade this week or be prepared for a long hold. At least she can be used as a handy VC loophole for Fantasy coaches until then!
Lily Quigley (GCS, MID, $200,000) - 10 Fantasy points
Wet weather was always going to be a challenge for the pacy winger, but even so Quigley was incredibly quiet on the weekend. She finished the game with just two disposals and one tackle, disappointing for even a basement-priced rookie. There is an argument that coaches should hold, knowing her ceiling potential in more favourable conditions and the price rises that could come with it. But with rain forecast again for her game against West Coast this weekend, best to cut your losses and find another rookie to jump on in the meantime.
Ella Roberts (WCE, MID, $958,000) - 53 Fantasy points
It may be presumptuous to suggest she is definitely a trade out already, but owners are rightfully frustrated after that round one effort. A hard tag by Greater Western Sydney's Grace Kos all day meant Roberts was fighting for every possession, only climbing up to the 15 disposals. More disappointing was her low tackle count, which could have saved her score. The major concern is that GWS won in an upset, and has now set the blueprint for how to beat the Eagles. The Eagle's next opponent Gold Coast will be looking at how it can similarly shut down Roberts, with notorious tagger Lucy Single in its toolkit. This isn't the first time Roberts will have dealt with close checking, but with such a high breakeven, coaches may be wary of losing a lot of cash before this premium can turn around her fortunes.
Top rookies (under $400,000 at start of season)
Best rookies to play on field:
Defenders
1. Violet Patterson (COL, $461,000)
2. Evie Cowcher (GEE, $316,000)
3. Kayleigh Cronin (ADE, $275,000)
Midfielders
1. Chloe Bown (ADE, $378,000)
2. Ava Usher (GCS, $390,000)
3. Sunny Lappin (CLB, $328,000)
Rucks
1. Yasmeen Janschek (GWS, $289,000)
2. Maddie Quinn (SYD, $284,000)
Forwards
1. Emelia Yassir (RIC, $434,000)
2. Keeley Skepper (WCE, $465,000)
3. Lauren Young (PA, $438,000)
Best of the rest (under $350,000 for your bench):
- Aoife Healy (FRE, DEF, $275,000)
- Siofra O'Connell (CAR, DEF, $270,000)
- Jordyn Allen (MEL, MID, $334,000)
- Imogen Brown (SYD, MID, $317,000)
- Marlo Graham (BL, MID, $312,000)
- Isabella Shannon (WCE, MID, $273,000)
- Juliet Kelly (ADE, MID, $249,000)
- Josephine Bamford (COL, RUC, $240,000)
- Lily Johnson (FRE, FWD, $339,000)
- Claire Mahony (NM, FWD, $308,000)
- Mischa Barwin (COL, FWD, $261,000)
- Nalu Brothwell (ESS, FWD, $249,000)
Captains
The stars continue to deliver, with Garner, Marinoff and Ash Riddell (119) the top three scorers to start the year. The Grand Final rematch this weekend between North Melbourne and Brisbane places a little caution on placing the captaincy on Garner and Riddell, given most coaches won't be able to loop this early in the season. If you are a Marinoff owner, her match-up against the Blues this weekend looks exceptionally promising following tons by both Georgia Patrikios and Tyanna Smith in round one.
Beyond the obvious candidates, there are a few promising candidates deeper in the midfield pool. Kiara Bowers started round one on fire, and faces a weakened Collingwood midfield this week. The Magpies gave up big scores to Mon Conti (113) and Emelia Yassir (79) last week, making Bowers a handy unique captain option early. Gardiner (90) started slowly by contrast, but found an extra gear late to save her score. After missing much of the pre-season, she may have taken a little to find the pace of the game again and will be raring to go against the Bombers this weekend.
For coaches with Hose on their bench, she plays on Sunday and should be a handy VC loophole for those wanting to take a look at either Garner or Riddell.
No.1: Ebony Marinoff (v Carlton, Sunday 3.20pm AEST)
No.2: Jasmine Garner (v Brisbane, Saturday 7.15pm AEST)
No.3: Ash Riddell (v Brisbane, Saturday 7.15pm AEST)
No.4: Kiara Bowers (v Collingwood, Sunday 12.35pm AEST)
No.5: Laura Gardiner (v Essendon, Sunday 12.30pm AEST)
Other options to consider: Mon Conti (v WBD), Mikayla Bowen (v STK), Olivia Purcell (v GWS), Tyla Hanks (v GWS), Mim Strom (v COL), Georgie Prespakis (v STK)
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