All eighteen clubs placed a player in the squad for the first time
For the first time in the history of Australian women's football, all eighteen clubs have placed a player in the All-Australian squad — a symmetry with the men's game that arrived in the same year, quietly marking how swiftly a competition can mature. The forty-two-woman squad announced in November 2023 holds both the architects of the league's early era and the rising names who are beginning to reshape it, a portrait of a sport in the fullness of its growth. On November 27, twenty-one of those forty-two will be named at the W Awards, and the rest will carry forward the knowledge that they were, at least for a moment, considered among the best.
- For the first time ever, no AFLW club was left without a representative in the All-Australian squad — a milestone that arrived in the same season the men's competition achieved the same.
- Eighteen players entered the All-Australian conversation for the very first time, signalling that the league's depth has expanded far beyond its founding generation.
- Adelaide's six nominees, built on Ebony Marinoff's league-leading 21.7 kicks and 10.1 tackles per game, reflect a club that dominated the season as comprehensively as any statistic can show.
- Sydney's three selections carry a redemption arc — a club that was winless the prior season clawed into finals contention, and their nominees embody that collective resurrection.
- Emma Kearney pursues an unbroken streak of eight consecutive All-Australian selections dating to 2017, while roughly half the forty-two-woman squad will be cut when the final team is named November 27.
For the first time in AFLW history, all eighteen clubs placed a player in the All-Australian squad — a milestone that arrived in the same year the men's competition achieved the same, a symmetry that quietly measured how far the women's game has come in a short span.
The forty-two-woman squad reflected both the established order and a rising tide of new talent. Adelaide led with six nominees, their dominance mirroring a season built on sustained excellence. Brisbane, Melbourne, and North Melbourne each claimed four spots, while Sydney and Gold Coast contributed three apiece. The remaining ten clubs each placed one player — the very fact of that breadth the story itself.
Eighteen of the forty-two were first-time squad members, a number that spoke to the league's expanding depth. Among the newcomers were Caitlin Gould and Danielle Ponter from Adelaide, Ally Morphett from Sydney, and Charlotte Thomas from West Coast — players stepping into the All-Australian conversation for the first time alongside veterans who had helped build the competition.
Those veterans carried their own weight. Emma Kearney was chasing an eighth consecutive selection, a streak unbroken since 2017. Ebony Marinoff and Jasmine Garner each pursued their sixth team honour. Their continued presence alongside the newcomers created a portrait of a league honouring its architects while making room for the next generation.
The numbers behind the selections were unambiguous. Marinoff led the league in kicks and tackles. Ash Riddell averaged thirty-two disposals per game — the most in the competition. Kate Hore and Eden Zanker each kicked twenty goals, tying for the league high. Ally Morphett averaged 29.3 hitouts across seven matches, a breakout that helped explain Sydney's transformation from winless to finals contention.
The final team of twenty-one will be named November 27 at the W Awards. For the eighteen first-timers, the wait carries the weight of possibility. For the established names, it is a question of whether the selectors still see them as essential. For all of them, the All-Australian honour remains what it has always been — a season's work distilled into a single, permanent record.
For the first time in the history of the Australian Football League Women, all eighteen clubs have placed a player in the All-Australian squad. The announcement came on a Tuesday afternoon in November, a milestone that arrived in the same year the men's competition achieved the same feat—a symmetry that underscored how far the women's game has traveled in a remarkably short span.
The forty-two-woman squad reflects both the established order and the rising tide of new talent. Adelaide, the minor premiers, dominated the selection with six nominees, their dominance a reflection of the season they had built. Brisbane, Melbourne, and North Melbourne each secured four spots, rounding out the top tier. Sydney and Gold Coast followed with three apiece, while the remaining ten clubs each contributed one player to the squad.
Among the forty-two were eighteen players making their All-Australian squad debut—a striking number that speaks to the league's expanding depth and the emergence of new stars. Caitlin Gould, Niamh Kelly, and Danielle Ponter from Adelaide; Keeley Sherar from Carlton; Emma O'Driscoll and Mim Strom from Fremantle; Daisy D'Arcy, Charlie Rowbottom, and Claudia Whitfort from Gold Coast; Nina Morrison from Geelong; Tarni Evans and Zarli Goldsworthy from GWS; Tahlia Gillard and Eden Zanker from Melbourne; Jasmine Ferguson from North Melbourne; Abbey Dowrick from Port Adelaide; Charlotte Thomas from West Coast—all entered the All-Australian conversation for the first time. Laura Gardiner and Ally Morphett from Sydney joined them, as did Ellie Blackburn's continued presence for Western Bulldogs, though several of these names had appeared in squad conversations before.
The squad also carried the weight of established excellence. Emma Kearney, North Melbourne's captain, was pursuing her eighth consecutive All-Australian selection, a streak that began in 2017 and had never been interrupted. Jasmine Garner, her teammate, aimed for her sixth team honor. Ebony Marinoff, Adelaide's midfielder, was chasing her sixth team selection as well. These were the players who had defined the early era of the competition, and their continued presence alongside the newcomers created a portrait of a league in transition—honoring its architects while making room for the next generation.
The selections themselves told stories of individual excellence. Ebony Marinoff led the league in kicks with 21.7 per game and in tackles with 10.1, numbers that reflected her dominance in the midfield. Ally Morphett, Sydney's ruck, averaged 29.3 hitouts per game across seven matches—the highest in the league—a breakout performance that helped explain Sydney's unlikely rise from winless to finals contention. Kate Hore and Eden Zanker from Melbourne had each kicked twenty goals, tying for the league high. Ash Riddell from North Melbourne averaged thirty-two disposals per game, the most in the competition. These were not close calls; these were players who had separated themselves through sustained, measurable dominance.
Sydney's three representatives—Molloy, Gardiner, and Morphett—carried particular significance. The Swans had been winless the previous season and had clawed their way into the finals this year, a transformation that these three players had helped engineer. Their inclusion in the All-Australian squad was not merely recognition of individual talent but acknowledgment of a team's resurrection.
The final team of twenty-one would be announced on November 27 at the W Awards, meaning that roughly half the squad would be cut. For the eighteen first-time squad members, the next two weeks would carry the weight of possibility. For Emma Kearney and the other established names, it would be a matter of whether the selectors saw them as still essential to the league's best team. For all of them, the All-Australian honor remained what it had always been: the game's highest individual recognition, the moment when a season's work was distilled into a single, permanent record.
Notable Quotes
Emma Kearney is bidding for an eighth consecutive All-Australian nod— Selection announcement
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What does it mean that all eighteen clubs got someone in the squad this year?
It means the talent has spread. Five years ago, you'd see the same four or five clubs dominating. Now a player from West Coast or St Kilda can have a season good enough to stand alongside the stars from Adelaide or Melbourne. The league is deeper.
But Adelaide still has six. Doesn't that contradict what you just said?
Not really. Adelaide had the best season—they were minor premiers. Six is a lot, but it's not overwhelming. The real story is that no club was shut out. That's never happened before.
Eighteen players are making their squad debut. Is that a lot?
It's significant. It means the league is turning over, bringing in new names. Some of these players—Ally Morphett, Eden Zanker—they're genuinely new voices in the conversation about who the best players are.
Emma Kearney is going for her eighth straight All-Australian. How does that even happen?
She's been consistently excellent since the league started. But eight in a row is also a statement about stability—she's played in a system that works, on a team that's always competitive. It's harder to make it eight times than to make it once.
What happens to the players who don't make the final team?
They're still All-Australian squad members. It's an honor. But the final twenty-one—that's the team that gets remembered. That's the one that goes in the record books.
So in two weeks, roughly half these forty-two will be cut?
Yes. And some of those cuts will sting. You could make a case for a lot of these players. That's actually what makes the All-Australian meaningful—it's genuinely selective.