Lauren Wood’s Top 10 AFLW players leading into season 10

They have dominated the competition since day one. And now 10 seasons in, Jasmine Garner and Ebony Marinoff remain top of the pops in AFL Women’s. But to ask who leads the season’s player rankings is like choosing just one song from a playlist of all-time favourite tunes.

Aerially and as a power athlete, reigning premiership star Garner has all the qualities of a prototype* AFLW player. An elite runner and trainer who has quietly earned the respect and adulation* of her teammates and opponents.

A tackling machine, Marinoff — the reigning league best and fairest winner — has built a reputation from rising star to outright star, a true midfield fire-breather.

So which qualities do they admire in each other?

“As the competition as evolved, we naturally as athletes have to evolve the competition,” Marinoff told the Herald Sun.

“And I think Jazzy’s probably exactly that. She’s just grown and evolved to the best player in the competition and naturally you’re envious of people and their success, but you had to be happy for someone like Jazzy last year to hit the pinnacle of holding up that cup, because of the hard work that goes into (becoming) the athlete that you are and help mould a team to have success.

“That was pretty inspiring, watching Jazzy do that from a team aspect. As a player, she’s so hard to play against, because she’s got it all. The one thing I don’t have is aerial, and that’s Jazzy.

“Her ability to hit the scoreboard is something that I admire, and she’s just so calm. You watch her kick and she’s got so much time when she doesn’t have time. Always able to execute.

“She’s such a well-rounded player and has got an amazing partnership with Ash Riddell in there – like what I’ve got with Anne Hatchard.

“Absolutely a complete player who can go back and protect on the defensive line and is someone that I’ve loved coming up against.”

Garner admires three-time premiership player Marinoff’s consistency.

“Just about every year, she’s made all-Australian,” Garner said.

“Last year, for her to top off the season with winning the best and fairest, we were all rooting for you on our table.

“It’s just great to see. Every year we look to play Adelaide and we know it’s going to be a battle inside. Noffy’s name gets circled as someone we have to look after. It’s just her workrate – we know how hard she works and if that’s one thing I could steal from her, it would be her hunt.

“The way she runs, she just doesn’t stop. For a player who tackles so much, maybe you don’t get the ball as much, but she’s still getting 30-plus. To do both is just great and I love coming up against players like Noffy. It’s so good for the competition, having players that work as hard as her.”

And then there’s Monique Conti, a league best and fairest winner herself who joins fellow medal winners Ally Anderson and Emily Bates inside the top 10.

LAUREN WOOD’S TOP 10 AFLW PLAYERS FOR THE 2025 SEASON
1. Jasmine Garner (North Melbourne)
The seven-time all-Australian achieved the ultimate last season – and now has the bounding Kangaroo tattoo to match as she and the Roos hunt back-to-back glory. Has had a strong focus on her running to further build her already impressive tank ahead of this season in a stark warning to rivals – there could be more to come. Watch out.

2. Ebony Marinoff (Adelaide)
Could easily have had Marinoff at #1 after her stellar 2024 campaign was rewarded as the league’s best individual player. A renowned tackling machine whose endurance at contests is a huge asset. From rising star to one of the game’s best – a testament to the growth of the competition.

3. Monique Conti (Richmond)
Epitome of an athlete who is damaging across the ground. Can quite literally do things no other player can in attack with her fleet-footed bamboozling to opposition sides. With her focus firmly on football after years of elite basketball, there is no ceiling on what the Tiger can achieve.

4. Ash Riddell (North Melbourne)
A prolific ball winner who has combined with best mate Jas Garner for one of the most damaging one-two punches in the game. Has speed to burn and is hungry for more success.

5. Ally Anderson (Brisbane)
Is in a photo finish with Marinoff for who can hit 100 games first and has just been so consistent over the journey. An inaugural player who has been among the competition’s best in all nine seasons so far – a highly-rated contested bull.

6. Emily Bates (Hawthorn)
Starred as a Lion and has flourished at Waverley under Daniel Webster and in the footy bubble she so sought. Headed up Hawthorn’s electric style from the engine room and remains a headache for opposition sides.

7. Eliza West (Hawthorn)
Alongside Bates formed a formidable midfield at the Hawks after winning a premiership at Melbourne. A best and fairest winner in her first season at Hawthorn last year and earned all-Australian honours, leading her team in almost every statistical measure.

8. Charlie Rowbottom (Gold Coast)
Two-time club champion after taking her game to another impressive level last season. One of the game’s hardest workers on the frontline, staving off significant rival interest to recommit to the Suns.

9. Chloe Molloy (Sydney)
Was felled by a cruel ACL* injury that sidelined the Swans star for all but one game of last season but at her best, sits firmly among the competition’s finest. Has worked diligently on her rehab to be back at full fitness and is ready to fire in front of goal. All class.

10. Georgie Prespakis (Geelong)
Has developed her game year on year to become one of the game’s premier midfielders. Was hampered by quad trouble last season but if her recent practice match is anything to go by, look out. Can also punish opposition in front of goal.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• prototype: a person or thing that serves as an example or standard of a type
• adulation: having very great admiration or praise for someone
• ACL: abbreviation for anterior cruciate ligament, both for the thing itself and its injury. The ACL is a piece of tissue inside the knee joint that keeps it firmly fixed, and connects the femur (upper leg bone) to the tibia (lower leg bone)

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QUICK QUIZ

1. Who took out the number one spot on Lauren Wood’s Top 10 list?
2. How many Victorian clubs are represented in the list?
3. Who are the players representing Queensland teams in the Top 10?
4. What sidelined Sydney Swans player Chloe Molloy?
5. Who is the single pick currently playing for the South Australian capital’s side?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. What makes a champion?
Is it athletic ability alone that makes a champion AFLW player? Think about the players in today’s story and write a list of the qualities apart from athletic ability, that makes each of them great.

Time: allow at least 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education

2. Extension
Design a special badge or logo that could be awarded to the AFLW players who have made the Top 10 list. Your logo should celebrate and symbolise what is amazing about these women and their achievements.

Time: allow at least 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Visual Communication Design

VCOP ACTIVITY
Girls in sport
There are many sports in which we’re seeing an increase in female participants. What sports have you noticed, or maybe joined yourself, where you have seen an increase in the number of girls now playing? How do you feel about this? Why do you feel this way? Do you think it’s a positive shift? Why/why not?

Use your VCOP to express how you feel towards girls taking up more sporting roles. Explain why you feel this way. Use your emotive language to express your point of view.