North’s Emma Kearney extends AFLW All-Australian streak
Anna Harrington and Roger Vaughan |
Emma Kearney’s extraordinary All-Australian streak has continued, with the North Melbourne captain the only player to earn the AFLW honour 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, who overcame illness to play in Sunday’s one-point preliminary final win against Adelaide, is the only AFLW player to have made every All-Australian team since the league started in 2017.
Her North Melbourne teammate and raging league best-and-fairest favourite Jasmine 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.
Minor premiers Adelaide had four players selected, while North Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney had three apiece.
Hore shared the goal-kicking award with teammate Eden Zanker.
Ten of the 18 teams were represented.
Eleven players earned their first All-Australian selection while only seven players backed up from last season.
Neither Maddy Prespakis (Essendon) nor younger sister Georgie Prespakis (Geelong) were selected.
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 when Goldsworthy, who was in the extended squad, didn’t.
Garner is expected to reverse her surprising trend of not polling well in the women’s equivalent of the Brownlow by claiming her first win later on Monday night.
The AFLW coaches have already judged Garner the best player in the league for the second successive year.
Two players have done the AFLW premiership-best and fairest double.
Newly retired star Erin Phillips did it twice at Adelaide in 2017 and 2019, while Kearney achieved the feat at the Western Bulldogs in 2018.
AFLW RISING STAR VOTING
1. Zarlie Goldsworthy (GWS, 41 votes)
2. Ally Morphett (Sydney, 40 votes)
3. Ella Roberts (West Coast, 23 votes)
