Every club now has a voice in the game's highest honor
In a quiet but telling milestone, the AFLW's 2023 All-Australian squad became the first in the league's history to include representation from all 18 clubs — a symmetry that mirrors the men's competition and speaks to how broadly the roots of women's football have now taken hold. Announced on a Tuesday in November, the 42-player list was led by Adelaide Crows with six nominees, while eighteen players earned their first-ever squad selection. The final 21-player team will be revealed on November 27 at the W Awards, but the squad itself already tells a story: a competition that has grown wide enough, and deep enough, that no club is left without a voice at the table.
- For the first time in AFLW history, all 18 clubs have placed at least one player in the All-Australian squad — a milestone that signals the league has matured beyond its founding powerhouses.
- Adelaide Crows dominate with six nominees, reflecting an on-field supremacy built across every position, from Ebony Marinoff's league-leading kicks and tackles to Caitlin Gould's 18 goals.
- Eighteen first-time squad members — including Sydney's Ally Morphett, who averaged the league's highest hitout rate in just seven games — signal a new generation arriving with force.
- Emma Kearney chases an eighth consecutive All-Australian nod, while Jasmine Garner and Ebony Marinoff each pursue a sixth team selection, keeping the stakes personal amid the collective celebration.
- The final 21-player All-Australian team will be decided at the W Awards on November 27, when the squad's promise either crystallises into honour or defers to another season.
For the first time in AFLW history, every one of the competition's 18 clubs has placed at least one player in the All-Australian squad — a milestone announced on a Tuesday in November that felt quietly significant. It happened the same year the men's league achieved the same feat, a symmetry that underscored how far women's football has travelled.
The 42-player squad was led by Adelaide Crows with six selections, followed by Brisbane, Melbourne, and North Melbourne with four each. Sydney and Gold Coast claimed three apiece, while the remaining clubs each secured at least one representative — a distribution suggesting the competition's talent has genuinely spread across the landscape rather than pooling in a handful of programs.
Eighteen players appeared in an All-Australian squad for the first time. Among them were Sydney's Ally Morphett, a ruck who averaged the league's highest hitout rate across just seven matches, and Laura Gardiner, who averaged nearly 30 disposals a game. Their presence, alongside Chloe Molloy, reflected Sydney's transformation from a winless side to a finals contender.
At the other end of the experience spectrum, Emma Kearney of North Melbourne was chasing her eighth consecutive All-Australian selection — a streak unbroken since 2017. Teammates Jasmine Garner and Adelaide's Ebony Marinoff were each pursuing a sixth team selection. Marinoff had led the league in both kicks and tackles, a midfielder's dominance that made her impossible to overlook.
Adelaide's six nominees told the story of a thoroughly constructed side: Chelsea Biddell averaging nearly seven intercepts per game, Anne Hatchard returning for a potential fifth All-Australian honour, and goal-kickers Caitlin Gould and Danielle Ponter combining for 34 majors across the season.
The final team of 21 will be announced November 27 at the W Awards. But the squad itself was already the story — proof that the foundation of women's football is now solid enough that every club can point to at least one player worthy of the game's highest individual recognition.
For the first time in the Australian Football League Women's history, every single club in the competition has placed at least one player in the All-Australian squad. The announcement came on a Tuesday afternoon in November, a moment that felt quietly significant—the kind of milestone that marks a league's maturation. It happened the same year the men's league achieved the same feat, a symmetry that underscored how far women's football has traveled.
The 42-player squad was led by Adelaide Crows, the minor premiers, who claimed six spots. Brisbane, Melbourne, and North Melbourne each followed with four selections. Sydney and Gold Coast rounded out the upper tier with three apiece. The remaining clubs—Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Fremantle, Geelong, Greater Western Sydney, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide, Richmond, St Kilda, and West Coast—each secured at least one representative. It was the kind of distribution that suggested the competition had genuinely spread its talent across the landscape, rather than concentrating it in a handful of powerhouse programs.
Among the 42 names were eighteen players making their first appearance in an All-Australian squad. These were the breakout performers, the ones who had caught the eye this season in ways that couldn't be ignored. For some, it was a validation of a career trajectory that had been building quietly. For others, it was a sudden arrival. Sydney's Ally Morphett, a ruck who had played only seven matches, averaged 29.3 hitouts per game—the highest in the league. Laura Gardiner, also from Sydney, averaged nearly 30 disposals a game and had never been in the squad before. These two, along with Chloe Molloy, represented Sydney's rise from a winless team to the finals.
The squad also included five players who had made previous squads but never the final team. They were knocking on the door, and this selection suggested they were close. Another cohort of established stars returned to the squad, some chasing records. Emma Kearney of North Melbourne was pursuing her eighth consecutive All-Australian nod—a streak that began in 2017 and had never been broken. Her teammate Jasmine Garner and Adelaide's Ebony Marinoff were each aiming for their sixth All-Australian team selection. Marinoff had led the league in kicks with 21.7 per game and in tackles with 10.1, a midfielder's dominance that had been impossible to overlook.
Adelaide's dominance in the squad reflected their dominance on the field. Beyond Marinoff, they had placed Chelsea Biddell, a defender who averaged nearly seven intercepts per game; Anne Hatchard, a four-time All-Australian who had played nine matches; Niamh Kelly, a first-time squad member; Caitlin Gould, who had kicked 18 goals; and Danielle Ponter, who had booted 16. It was a spread across the ground that showed how thoroughly the Crows had built their premiership-contending side.
The final team of 21 would be announced on November 27 at the W Awards. That announcement would determine which of these 42 players had truly earned the sport's highest individual honor. For now, though, the squad itself was the story—a statement that the league had grown deep enough, competitive enough, and distributed enough that every club could point to at least one player worthy of the game's elite recognition. It was the kind of milestone that doesn't make headlines scream, but it matters. It means the foundation is solid.
Notable Quotes
Emma Kearney is bidding for an eighth consecutive All-Australian nod— All-Australian squad announcement
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What does it mean that all 18 clubs got someone in the squad this year?
It means the talent isn't concentrated anymore. Ten years ago, you'd have had maybe eight or nine clubs represented. Now it's genuinely spread across the competition.
Is Adelaide's dominance with six players a sign they're the strongest team, or just that they happened to have a good year?
Both, probably. They were minor premiers, so they earned it. But it also shows how much depth they've built. You don't get six All-Australian nominees by accident.
Eighteen first-time squad members seems like a lot. Does that suggest the league is getting younger, or just more competitive?
More competitive, I'd say. Some of these players are young, sure, but others have been grinding for years and finally broke through. Ally Morphett played only seven games and made the squad—that's pure talent meeting opportunity.
Emma Kearney chasing her eighth straight All-Australian. How rare is that kind of consistency?
Extremely rare. That's not just being good once or twice. That's being one of the best players in your position, every single year, for eight years straight. It's the kind of record that defines a career.
Does the final team announcement on November 27 matter more than the squad announcement?
It matters differently. The squad is validation. The final team is immortality. Being in the squad means you had a great year. Being in the final team means you're in the conversation with the absolute elite.
Why does it matter that the men's league hit this milestone the same year?
It signals parity. When both competitions reach the same structural achievement in the same year, it suggests the women's game isn't trailing anymore. It's moving in parallel.