The eighth edition of the Adelaide Crows AFLW Club Champion will be hosted this Friday night (December 8), to determine who will win Adelaide’s highest individual honour.
Following an eventful 2023 campaign, which had multiple key contributors across all three lines, it is sure to make for a thrilling count.
As the Club prepares to come together and celebrate the 2023 AFLW Season, AFC Media has put together a guide of everything you need to know ahead of the big night.
Club Champion
The AFLW Club Champion is awarded to the Crows’ Best and Fairest player, which includes the finals series, with four players being bestowed the prestigious honour throughout the Club’s history.
Adelaide’s AFLW Club Champion award is calculated by Senior Coach Matthew Clarke and four line coaches, who grade every player’s performance on a 0-8 scale following each round for a maximum collective vote of 40.
Four-time All Australian Anne Hatchard has won the coveted award the most times, claiming it on three occasions, following stellar seasons in 2020, 2022 (Season Six) and 2022 (Season Seven).
First won by Erin Phillips in Adelaide’s inaugural AFLW campaign in 2017, the former Captain is a two-time winner, also taking home the award in 2019.
Other winners include Skipper Chelsea Randall in 2018 and three-time Premiership star Ebony Marinoff in 2021.
Past Winners
2017 - Erin Phillips
2018 - Chelsea Randall
2019 - Erin Phillips
2020- Anne Hatchard
2021 - Ebony Marinoff
2022 (Season Six) - Anne Hatchard
2022 (Season Seven) - Anne Hatchard
Players’ Player
The AFLW Players’ Player Award goes to the highest polling player from team votes, with each issuing 3,2,1 votes after each game.
Three-time Premiership player Anne Hatchard has been voted the Players’ Player a record three times - 2020, 2022 (Season Six) and 2022 (Season Seven) – while four-time All Australian Chelsea Randall (2017 and 2018) is the Club’s other multiple-time winner.
Erin Phillips (2019), Sarah Allan (2022 Season Six) and Chelsea Biddell (2022 S7) have all been voted the winner by their teammates once.
Past winners
2017- Chelsea Randall
2018- Chelsea Randall
2019- Erin Phillips
2020- Anne Hatchard
2021- Anne Hatchard
2022 (Season Six)- Anne Hatchard and Sarah Allan
2022 (Season Seven)- Chelsea Biddell
Best Defensive Player
Awarded to Adelaide’s best defensive player throughout the season, three-time All Australian defender Sarah Allan holds the record for the most wins, claiming the award on three occasions (2018, 2021 and 2022, Season Six).
Adelaide’s other winners include current Assistant Coach and former player Courtney Cramey (2017), Deni Varnhagen (2019), Justine Mules (2020) and Chelsea Biddell (2022, Season Seven).
Past winners
2017- Courtney Cramey
2018- Sarah Allan
2019- Deni Varnhagen
2020- Justine Mules
2021- Sarah Allan
2022 (Season Six)- Sarah Allan
2022 (Season Seven)- Chelsea Biddell
Leading Goal Kicker
Presented to the player who leads the Clubs goal kicking tally, including after the finals series, the award has been won by five players.
Former Crow Erin Phillips (2018 and 2021) and Ashleigh Woodland (2022, Season Six and 2022, Season Seven) are the Club’s only multiple winners, having both led Adelaide’s goal kicking tally twice.
Ruth Wallace shared the honour with Phillips in 2018, while Sarah Perkins (2017), Stevie-Lee Thompson (2019) and Danielle Ponter (2020) have also claimed the award.
Past winners
2017- Sarah Perkins (11)
2018- Erin Phillips, Ruth Wallace (7)
2019- Stevie-Lee Thompson (14)
2020- Danielle Ponter (5)
2021- Erin Phillips (14)
2022 (Season Six)- Ashleigh Woodland (21)
2022 (Season Seven)- Ashleigh Woodland (14)
New Award – Lynn Drew Medal
This year the Club is introducing a new award, the Members’ MVP Award (Lynn Drew Medal). The inaugural Lynn Drew Medal will be presented to the Member-voted Most Valuable Player.
The award will recognise the outstanding contribution Lynn has made to the AFLW team.
Lynn was a Foundation member of the AFLW team and a longtime member of the Adelaide Football Club. She was passionate about all things football and the AFC was a huge part of her life.
The Club met Lynn in 2010 when she joined Crows Forever, the Club’s bequest program, where over the years she met most of the players and coaches, either at the Crows Forever functions or while calling in for a coffee and a chat here at the Club.
Sadly, Lynn passed away earlier in the year, but she will always be remembered by this award.
Keep an eye out across the Adelaide Football Club’s AFLW social platforms for all the coverage and to find out the winners.
