Richmond gun Monique Conti has stormed to her first AFLW best and fairest, winning the league’s highest honour with two rounds to spare.
Last year’s runner-up to Brisbane’s Ally Anderson, Conti polled 20 of a possible 24 votes across the first eight rounds to add the medal to her fifth All-Australian selection.
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The star midfielder, who juggles football with her basketball commitments with WNBL team Melbourne Boomers, put an exclamation mark on her win by earning a maximum three votes in round 10.
The 23-year-old won with 23 votes out of a possible 30.
When asked when she thought the award was hers, Conti said with a laugh, “(the) last round”.
“I don’t know. I just had a pretty good game last round,” she added.
“We had an amazing win, I was so happy to finish on that.
“I think leading into that (final vote count), it was like ‘OK, this is actually real.’”
She finished seven votes ahead of Sydney’s Chloe Molloy, North Melbourne’s Ashleigh Riddell, Gold Coast’s Claudia Whitford and Geelong’s Amy McDonald.
Red-hot favourite and North Melbourne star Jasmine Garner finished equal-seventh on 14 votes, again polling far less than expected.
Garner was the AFLW coaches’ player of the year.
Conti averaged 28.5 disposals, 7.3 clearances, 418 metres-gained, 5.8 tackles and 3.5 score involvements per game.
She was the league leader for clearances, fourth in the AFLW for disposals and fifth for metres-gained.
Earlier, North Melbourne captain Emma Kearney became the only player to earn All-Australian selection in all eight seasons.
A former league best-and-fairest winner, Kearney was named on the half-back flank for the 2023 team ahead of North Melbourne’s debut grand final appearance against Brisbane on Sunday.
Kearney is the only AFLW player to have made every All-Australian team since the league started in 2017.
Garner was named in a sixth All-Australian team, as was Adelaide star Ebony Marinoff.
League-leading goalkicker and Melbourne skipper Kate Hore was named captain, with Essendon co-captain Bonnie Toogood vice-captain.
Hore shared the goal-kicking award with teammate Eden Zanker.
Minor premiers Adelaide had four players selected, while North Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney had three apiece.
GWS young gun Zarlie Goldsworthy claimed the Rising Star award by a single vote, ahead of Sydney’s Ally Morphett.
Sydney tall Morphett earned All-Australian selection while Goldsworthy, who was in the extended squad, didn’t.
AFLW BEST AND FAIREST
1. Monique Conti (Richmond) – 23
= 2. Ashleigh Riddell (North Melbourne), Amy McDonald (Geelong), Chloe Molloy (Sydney), Claudia Whitford (Gold Coast) – 16
6. Bonnie Toogood (Essendon) 15
AFLW RISING STAR VOTING
1. Zarlie Goldsworthy (GWS, 41 votes)
2. Ally Morphett (Sydney, 40 votes)
3. Ella Roberts (West Coast, 23 votes)
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