North Melbourne Star Claims Top AFLW Honour
North Melbourne's midfield powerhouse Ash Riddell has cemented her status as one of Australian rules football's elite players by securing the AFLW best-and-fairest award for the first time. The 29-year-old, who finished as runner-up to Adelaide's Ebony Marinoff last season, polled an impressive 23 votes to claim the league's highest individual honour.
This prestigious award adds to Riddell's remarkable 2025 campaign, during which she also received her fifth All-Australian selection and was named the AFL Coaches Association's champion player of the year. Her consistency and dominance throughout the season have made her an indispensable part of North Melbourne's success.
Record-Breaking Season Seals Victory
Riddell's journey to the top has been nothing short of extraordinary. The ball-magnet has broken her own AFLW disposal record three times this season, achieving the remarkable feat of 40 or more possessions on five separate occasions. Her average of 35.3 disposals per match stands as the league's best performance this season.
In a surprising twist, Riddell failed to poll votes in rounds six and eight despite setting new disposal records with 44 and 45 touches respectively. Her round six performance against Carlton saw her break the AFLW disposal record, yet this monumental achievement went unrecognised in the voting.
Rising Stars and All-Australian Honours
The awards ceremony also celebrated emerging talent, with Sydney's explosive young gun Zippy Fish claiming the Rising Star award with a perfect 50 votes. Carlton's Poppy Scholz and West Coast's Lucia Painter tied for second place with 23 votes each.
In the best-and-fairest polling, Geelong's Georgie Prespakis secured second position with 20 votes, while Melbourne's Tyla Hanks took third with 18 votes. West Coast's Ella Roberts finished fourth, demonstrating the depth of talent across the competition.
North Melbourne's representation in the All-Australian team highlighted their dominant season, with Riddell selected alongside teammates Jasmine Garner, Tahlia Randall and Blaithin Bogue. Garner was named All-Australian captain for the third time in four seasons and equalled teammate Emma Kearney's record with her eighth blazer.
Grand Final Preparation and Team Spirit
Riddell's triumph comes at a perfect moment as she prepares to lead the Kangaroos in Saturday's grand final against the Brisbane Lions. The midfielder has featured in every game of North Melbourne's record 26-match winning streak, showcasing her reliability and endurance throughout an demanding season.
During her acceptance speech at Monday night's AFLW Awards ceremony, Riddell paid tribute to her teammates and coach Darren Crocker. "Crock does such an amazing job with the group and he's really big on just enjoying the journey," she said. "We're just so connected as a group and we love hanging out off-field as well, which brings us closer together on-field."
Riddell's journey to AFLW stardom is particularly inspiring given she was overlooked in two drafts before North Melbourne selected her for their inaugural AFLW season in 2019. Since then, she has developed into a club champion, premiership player and now a league best-and-fairest winner.
Other award winners included Richmond's Sarah Hosking, who claimed mark of the year for her courageous effort against Collingwood, and Sydney's Montana Ham, who secured goal of the year for her impressive run and finish against the Magpies.
