KIARA Bowers has played a lot of very good games. She's even been the equal winner of the AFLW best and fairest award. But she's never played a better individual game than she did on Sunday against Adelaide.

It might seem hyperbolic, sure. She's known as the AFLW's contested beast, usually racking up as many tackles as she does possessions. But her willingness to evolve with the competition – and her side – is the reason behind Sunday's unbelievable showing.

In Bowers' best on ground performance in Fremantle's second ever win over the Crows, she recorded a stat line that included 27 possessions, five inside 50s, and five clearances. On paper it seems like a regulation good game from a modern-day AFLW midfielder.

But it was the split of those touches, what she did with them, and the balance between her defence and attack, that really put the game over the edge for her.

Across her career, Bowers has averaged a contested possession rate of 60.1 per cent, and a tackle count of 12, which has always been indicative of how she, and Fremantle has played. Everything is tight, contested, and pressured. This year the Dockers have worked hard to evolve and establish more of an outside, uncontested, controlled game to keep up with the rest of the League. To do so, players like Bowers need to evolve alongside the team.

Sunday proved not only that she is willing to adapt, but that she can excel in this adjusted role. Importantly, the support Bowers now has around the ball means she can get off the leash a little more, and the club is less reliant on her to win at the source every single time.

Bowers can now be the class on top, instead of the whole engine room, furnace, coals, and shovel included.

Of her 27 possessions, a career-best 17 were uncontested – evidence of her capacity to work to the outside more consistently – and she recorded a career-high 609 metres gained for the match as she worked to get attacking when she had ball in hand.

Two goals is also her best-ever return in front of goal across 68 games, helping to spread the load up forward and exploit opposition midfielders who are prone to losing her because of her superior work rate.

Crucially, Bowers still laid eight tackles for the match. This is important in understanding that the core of who she is as a player is still there. That tough, team-first action that has forced respect – and fear – from opposition players since she made her debut in 2019.

But the balance is better. On Sunday, she hurt Adelaide in more ways than one, and Fremantle was the big winner as a result.