GOLD Coast gun Ava Usher has been ruled out of contention for the AFLW Telstra Rising Star award after copping a one-game suspension for a high bump as the final siren sounded in Saturday's win over Richmond.
Usher, who was nominated for the Rising Star award in round nine and is widely considered to be one of the frontrunners to take home the award and the $20,000 prize money, caught Tigers defender Bec Miller high in the frantic final seconds of the Suns' four-point win.
Under Rising Star rules, players who receive a suspension during the season are not eligible to win the award.
This occurred in the men's competition in 2024 when leading contenders Sam Darcy and Harley Reid were rendered ineligible after being suspended, with the award eventually going to Ollie Dempsey.
At the time, then AFL football boss Laura Kane said the League was not considering a change to the rules.
"I can categorically rule out the eligibility criteria for Rising Star changing," Kane told AFL.com.au at the time. "It's not something we're looking at."
The Match Review Officer assessed the incident as high contact, careless conduct and of a medium impact, attracting a one-match ban.
The Suns may choose to challenge the suspension, both to maintain Usher's eligibility for the award and to have her available for Sunday's game against Greater Western Sydney, where the Suns will be fighting for a top-four spot.
Adelaide's Eloise Jones also received a one-game ban for rough conduct against North Melbourne's Ruby Tripodi on Sunday.
