The 2019 AFL Women's season was the third season of the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition, the highest-level senior women's Australian rules football competition in Australia. The season featured ten clubs and ran from 2 February to 31 March, comprising a seven-round home-and-away season followed by a two-week finals series featuring the top two clubs from each conference. Australian Football League (AFL) clubs Geelong and North Melbourne featured for the first time in 2019.
2019 AFL Women's season | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Date | 2 February—31 March 2019 |
Teams | 10 |
Premiers | Adelaide 2nd premiership |
Runners-up | Carlton 1st runners-up result |
Best and fairest | Erin Phillips (Adelaide) 19 votes |
Leading goalkicker | Stevie-Lee Thompson (Adelaide) 13 goals |
Attendance | |
Matches played | 38 |
Total attendance | 251,792 (6,626 per match) |
Highest (H&A) | 18,429 (round 1, Geelong v Collingwood) |
Highest (finals) | 53,034 (grand final, Adelaide v Carlton) |
Adelaide won the premiership, defeating Carlton by 45 points in the 2019 AFL Women's Grand Final; it was Adelaide's second AFL Women's premiership. Adelaide's Erin Phillips won her second AFL Women's best and fairest award as the league's best and fairest player, and teammate Stevie-Lee Thompson won the AFL Women's leading goalkicker award as the league's leading goalkicker.
Reforms
New teams
Two new teams, Geelong and North Melbourne, joined the competition, bringing the total number of teams to ten. The North Melbourne team has a strong Tasmanian focus; some players were based in Tasmania and some home games were held in the state. The introduction of the new teams was the first stage of a two-year expansion that took the league to fourteen teams for the 2020 season.[1]
Club | Entry in 2017 | Entry in 2019/20 | Entry in 2022 (S7) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Placed bid |
Granted entry |
Placed bid |
Granted entry | Placed bid |
Granted entry | ||
2019 | 2020 | ||||||
Adelaide | Yes | Yes | — | ||||
Brisbane | Yes | Yes | — | ||||
Carlton | Yes | Yes | — | ||||
Collingwood | Yes | Yes | — | ||||
Essendon | No | — | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Fremantle | Yes | Yes | — | ||||
Geelong | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | — | ||
Gold Coast | No | — | Yes | No | Yes | — | |
Greater Western Sydney | Yes | Yes | — | ||||
Hawthorn | No | — | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Melbourne | Yes | Yes | — | ||||
North Melbourne | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | — | ||
Port Adelaide | No | — | No | — | — | Yes | Yes |
Richmond | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | — | |
St Kilda | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | — | |
Sydney | No | — | No | — | — | Yes | Yes |
West Coast | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | — | |
Western Bulldogs | Yes | Yes | — |
Conferences
Despite the introduction of new teams, the league retained a seven-round home-and-away season. This was achieved by splitting the competition into two conferences. Each team play four games against their fellow conference members and three "cross-over" matches against teams from the other conference.[2] Conference membership was based on the final ladder positions of the 2018 season.[2]
The finals series was expanded to include preliminary finals for the first time; the two teams who finish the highest in each conference at the end of the home-and-away season qualified for the preliminary finals. The winners of these games played in the AFL Women's Grand Final.[3] The make-up of the conferences, along with the fixture, was released in October 2018.[4]
The conference system proved controversial as the teams in Conference A consistently outplayed the teams on Conference B, resulting in the first, second, fifth and sixth best overall teams making the finals.[5][6][7] Due to the conference system, as of 2024, this remains the only season where the North Melbourne team did not make the finals (despite a 5-2 record).
Pool A | ||
---|---|---|
Team | Stadium(s) | Capacity |
Western Bulldogs | Whitten Oval Marvel Stadium |
12,000 56,347 |
Melbourne | Casey Fields | 12,000 |
Adelaide | Norwood Oval TIO Stadium Unley Oval |
22,000 12,500 10,000 |
Fremantle | Fremantle Oval | 17,500 |
North Melbourne | North Hobart Oval UTAS Stadium Avalon Airport Oval |
18,000 21,000 10,000 |
Pool B | ||
---|---|---|
Team | Stadium(s) | Capacity |
Brisbane | MBC Sports Complex Hickey Park |
8,000 4,000 |
Greater Western Sydney | Drummoyne Oval Blacktown ISP Oval UNSW Canberra Oval |
6,000 10,000 16,000 |
Collingwood | Victoria Park Morwell Reserve Marvel Stadium |
15,000 12,000 56,347 |
Carlton | Ikon Park | 24,568 |
Geelong | GMHBA Stadium | 36,000 |
Rule changes
There were 11 rule changes brought in for the 2019 AFLW season (three AFLW specific).
- Boundary throw ins brought in by 10m (AFLW only)
- Last touch rule only applies outside of the 50s (AFLW only)
- Runners allowed on the field during live play (AFLW only)
- 5-6-5 formation mandated at centre bounces
- The woman on the mark must stand further back after kick ins after a behind (from 5m to 10m), and the player doesn't need to kick to herself before playing on[8]
- After defenders have a free kick within nine metres of their goal, the woman on the mark stands in line with the top of the goal square
- Players can't set up behind the umpire at centre bounces
- Play on is allowed for 50m penalties
- Players can kick across their body after taking a mark after the siren.
- A player can place her hands on the back of her opponent to protect marking space (see Push in the back)
- A ruck who takes direct possession of the ball from a bounce, throw-up or boundary throw-in will no longer be regarded as having had prior opportunity.[9]
Home-and-away season
The full fixture and make-up of the conferences was released on 26 October 2018.[4][10]
- All starting times are local.
Round 1
Round 1 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 2 February (6:40 pm) | Geelong 3.6 (24) | def. | Collingwood 3.5 (23) | GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 18,429) | Report |
Saturday, 2 February (8:10 pm) | Adelaide 1.11 (17) | def. by | Western Bulldogs 2.6 (18) | Norwood Oval (crowd: 7,830) | Report |
Sunday, 3 February (1:05 pm) | North Melbourne 7.10 (52) | def. | Carlton 2.4 (16) | North Hobart Oval (crowd: 4,896) | Report |
Sunday, 3 February (3:05 pm) | Melbourne 8.7 (55) | def. by | Fremantle 9.5 (59) | Casey Fields (crowd: 1,800) | Report |
Sunday, 3 February (4:05 pm) | Brisbane 4.5 (29) | def. | Greater Western Sydney 4.3 (27) | Moreton Bay Sports Complex (crowd: 2,850) | Report |
Round 2
Round 2 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Friday, 8 February (7:15 pm) | Greater Western Sydney 2.11 (23) | def. by | North Melbourne 7.6 (48) | Drummoyne Oval (crowd: 1,365) | Report |
Saturday, 9 February (4:45 pm) | Collingwood 1.3 (9) | def. by | Melbourne 3.8 (26) | Victoria Park (crowd: 7,228) | Report |
Saturday, 9 February (7:15 pm) | Western Bulldogs 5.4 (34) | def. | Geelong 2.4 (16) | VU Whitten Oval (crowd: 8,612) | Report |
Sunday, 10 February (4:05 pm) | Carlton 7.2 (44) | def. by | Adelaide 9.3 (57) | Ikon Park (crowd: 3,150) | Report |
Sunday, 10 February (3:05 pm) | Fremantle 10.7 (67) | def. | Brisbane 6.4 (40) | Fremantle Oval (crowd: 6,007) | Report |
Round 3
Round 3 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Friday, 15 February (7:15 pm) | North Melbourne 8.5 (53) | def. | Western Bulldogs 3.4 (22) | University of Tasmania Stadium (crowd: 3,123) | Report |
Saturday, 16 February (4:45 pm) | Greater Western Sydney 5.6 (36) | def. by | Carlton 10.5 (65) | Blacktown ISP Oval (crowd: 3,823) | Report |
Saturday, 16 February (4:15 pm) | Fremantle 7.9 (51) | def. | Collingwood 2.6 (18) | Fremantle Oval (crowd: 5,443) | Report |
Sunday, 17 February (2:05 pm) | Adelaide 10.6 (66) | def. | Geelong 6.1 (37) | Norwood Oval (crowd: 4,433) | Report |
Sunday, 17 February (3:35 pm) | Brisbane 3.3 (21) | def. by | Melbourne 9.6 (60) | Hickey Park (crowd: 5,453) | Report |
Round 4
Round 4 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 23 February (4:45 pm) | Geelong 2.7 (19) | def. | Carlton 1.8 (14) | GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 7,060) | Report |
Saturday, 23 February (7:15 pm) | Western Bulldogs 2.5 (17) | def. by | Brisbane 7.7 (49) | VU Whitten Oval (crowd: 6,541) | Report |
Saturday, 23 February (8:05 pm) | Adelaide 9.11 (65) | def. | Fremantle 3.5 (23) | TIO Stadium (crowd: 1,734) | Report |
Sunday, 24 February (2:05 pm) | Collingwood 4.3 (27) | def. by | Greater Western Sydney 5.6 (36) | Morwell Recreation Reserve (crowd: 1,743) | Report |
Sunday, 24 February (4:05 pm) | Melbourne 5.4 (34) | def. by | North Melbourne 6.2 (38) | Casey Fields (crowd: 4,227) | Report |
Round 5
Round 5 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 2 March (3:45 pm) | Brisbane 1.2 (8) | def. by | Geelong 5.5 (35) | Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex (crowd: 2,800) | Report |
Saturday, 2 March (7:15 pm) | Carlton 4.10 (34) | def. | Collingwood 4.5 (29) | Ikon Park (crowd: 3,215) | Report |
Sunday, 3 March (2:05 pm) | Greater Western Sydney 2.6 (18) | def. by | Melbourne 8.9 (57) | Blacktown ISP Oval (crowd: 1,576) | Report |
Sunday, 3 March (4:05 pm) | North Melbourne 4.5 (29) | def. by | Adelaide 10.4 (64) | Avalon Airport Oval (crowd: 2,107) | Report |
Sunday, 3 March (3:05 pm) | Fremantle 8.4 (52) | def. | Western Bulldogs 5.4 (34) | Fremantle Oval (crowd: 4,785) | Report |
Round 6
Round 6 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday, 9 March (2:35 pm) | Geelong 2.1 (13) | def. by | Fremantle 6.13 (49) | GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 4,125) | Report |
Saturday, 9 March (4:45 pm) | Collingwood 5.1 (31) | def. by | North Melbourne 7.11 (53) | Marvel Stadium (crowd: 10,612) | Report |
Saturday, 9 March (7:15 pm) | Western Bulldogs 6.2 (38) | def. by | Melbourne 5.9 (39) | Marvel Stadium (crowd: 10,612) | Report |
Sunday, 10 March (1:35 pm) | Adelaide 9.5 (59) | def. | Greater Western Sydney 4.3 (27) | Unley Oval (crowd: 7,725) | Report |
Sunday, 10 March (4:05 pm) | Carlton 6.7 (43) | def. | Brisbane 4.3 (27) | Ikon Park (crowd: 2,900) | Report |
Round 7
Round 7 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Friday, 15 March (7:15 pm) | Greater Western Sydney 6.5 (41) | def. | Geelong 1.4 (10) | UNSW Canberra Oval (crowd: 4,524) | Report |
Saturday, 16 March (4:45 pm) | Melbourne 1.2 (8) | def. by | Adelaide 10.8 (68) | Casey Fields (crowd: 2,239) | Report |
Saturday, 16 March (4:15 pm) | Fremantle 7.10 (52) | def. | North Melbourne 4.1 (25) | Fremantle Oval (crowd: 6,386) | Report |
Sunday, 17 March (2:05 pm) | Collingwood 3.7 (25) | def. | Brisbane 2.7 (19) | Victoria Park (crowd: 2,030) | Report |
Sunday, 17 March (4:05 pm) | Western Bulldogs 5.8 (38) | def. by | Carlton 6.5 (41) | VU Whitten Oval (crowd: 9,609) | Report |
Ladders
Source: womens.afl
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
Source: womens.afl
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
|
Progression by round
- Numbers highlighted in green indicates the team finished the round inside the top 2.
Conference A
|
Conference B
|
Finals series
Preliminary finals | Grand final | |||||
March 24, Adelaide Oval | ||||||
Adelaide | 11.7 (73) | |||||
March 31, Adelaide Oval | ||||||
Geelong | 1.1 (7) | |||||
Adelaide | 10.3 (63) | |||||
March 23, Ikon Park | ||||||
Carlton | 2.6 (18) | |||||
Carlton | 9.10 (64) | |||||
Fremantle | 4.4 (28) | |||||
Preliminary finals
Grand final
Grand final | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sunday, 31 March (12:30 pm) | Adelaide 10.3 (63) | def. | Carlton 2.6 (18) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 53,034) | Report |
Win–loss table
+ | Win | Qualified for finals | |
- | Loss | X | Bye |
Draw | Eliminated |
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | PF | GF | Ladder |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adelaide | WB 1 |
Car 13 |
Gee 29 |
Fre 42 |
NM 35 |
GWS 32 |
Melb 60 |
Gee 66 |
Car 45 |
A1 |
Brisbane | GWS 2 |
Fre 27 |
Melb 39 |
WB 32 |
Gee 27 |
Carl 16 |
Coll 6 |
X | X | B4 |
Carlton | NM 36 |
Adel 13 |
GWS 29 |
Geel 5 |
Coll 5 |
BL 16 |
WB 3 |
Fre 36 |
Ade 45 |
B1 |
Collingwood | Geel 1 |
Melb 17 |
Fre 33 |
GWS 9 |
Carl 5 |
NM 22 |
BL 6 |
X | X | B5 |
Fremantle | Melb 4 |
BL 27 |
Coll 33 |
Adel 42 |
WB 18 |
Gee 36 |
NM 27 |
Carl 36 |
X | A2 |
Geelong | Coll 1 |
WB 18 |
Adel 29 |
Carl 5 |
BL 27 |
Fre 36 |
GWS 31 |
Adel 66 |
X | B2 |
Greater Western Sydney | BL 2 |
NM 25 |
Carl 29 |
Coll 9 |
Melb 39 |
Adel 32 |
Geel 31 |
X | X | B3 |
Melbourne | Fre 4 |
Col 17 |
BL 39 |
NM 4 |
GWS 39 |
WB 1 |
Adel 60 |
X | X | A4 |
North Melbourne | Carl 36 |
GWS 25 |
WB 31 |
Melb 4 |
Adel 35 |
Coll 22 |
Fre 27 |
X | X | A3 |
Western Bulldogs | Adel 1 |
Geel 18 |
NM 31 |
BL 32 |
Fre 18 |
Melb 1 |
Carl 3 |
X | X | A5 |
Attendances
By club
Club | Total | Games | Avg. per game | Home total | Home games | Home avg. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adelaide | 29,218 | 7 | 4,174 | 21,722 | 4 | 5,431 |
Brisbane | 24,555 | 6 | 4,093 | 7,077 | 2 | 3,539 |
Carlton | 34,653 | 7 | 4,950 | 9,265 | 3 | 3,088 |
Collingwood | 48,700 | 7 | 6,957 | 21,613 | 4 | 5,403 |
Fremantle | 30,280 | 7 | 4,326 | 22,621 | 4 | 5,655 |
Geelong | 47,183 | 6 | 7,864 | 29,614 | 3 | 9,871 |
Greater Western Sydney | 23,147 | 7 | 3,307 | 11,279 | 4 | 2,820 |
Melbourne | 31,900 | 7 | 4,557 | 8,266 | 3 | 2,755 |
North Melbourne | 32,716 | 7 | 4,674 | 10,126 | 3 | 3,375 |
Western Bulldogs | 51,112 | 7 | 7,302 | 35,374 | 4 | 8,844 |
By ground
Ground | Total | Games | Avg. per game |
---|---|---|---|
Avalon Airport Stadium | 2,107 | 1 | 2,107 |
Blacktown ISP Oval | 5,390 | 2 | 2,695 |
Casey Fields | 8,266 | 3 | 2,755 |
Drummoyne Oval | 1,365 | 1 | 1,365 |
Fremantle Oval | 22,621 | 4 | 5,655 |
Hickey Park | 4,227 | 1 | 4,227 |
GMHBA Stadium | 29,614 | 3 | 9,871 |
Ikon Park | 9,265 | 3 | 3,088 |
Marvel Stadium | 10,612 | 1 | 10,612 |
Moreton Bay Sports Complex | 2,850 | 1 | 2,850 |
Morwell Recreation Reserve | 1,743 | 1 | 1,743 |
North Hobart Oval | 4,896 | 1 | 4,896 |
Norwood Oval | 12,263 | 2 | 6,132 |
TIO Stadium | 1,734 | 1 | 1,734 |
Unley Oval | 7,725 | 1 | 7,725 |
UNSW Canberra Oval | 4,524 | 1 | 4,524 |
University of Tasmania Stadium | 3,123 | 1 | 3,123 |
Victoria Park | 9,258 | 2 | 4,629 |
VU Whitten Oval | 27,762 | 3 | 8,254 |
Awards
- The league best and fairest was awarded to Erin Phillips.[11]
- The leading goalkicker was awarded to Stevie-Lee Thompson of Adelaide, who kicked thirteen goals during the home and away season.[12]
- The Rising Star was awarded to Madison Prespakis.[13]
- The best on ground in the AFL Women's Grand Final was awarded to Erin Phillips.[14]
- The goal of the year was awarded to Ashley Sharp.[15]
- The mark of the year was awarded to Tayla Harris.[15]
- AFLW Players Association awards
- The most valuable player was awarded to Erin Phillips.[16]
- The most courageous player was awarded to Chelsea Randall.[16]
- The best captain was awarded to Brianna Davey.[16]
- The best first year player was awarded to Madison Prespakis.[16]
- The AFLW Coaches Association champion player of the year was awarded to Erin Phillips.[17]
- Erin Phillips was named the captain of the 2019 AFL Women's All-Australian team. The premiers Adelaide had five players selected, with nine of the league's 10 clubs represented in the final team by at least one player.[18]
- Collingwood were the lowest ranked team overall, and thus could be said to have "won" the wooden spoon, though this is a contestable claim given the use of conferences.
Best and fairest
Club | Award name | Player | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Adelaide | Club Champion | Erin Phillips | [19] |
Brisbane | Best and fairest | Ally Anderson | [20] |
Carlton | Best and fairest | Brianna Davey | [21] |
Madison Prespakis | |||
Collingwood | Best and fairest | Jaimee Lambert | [22] |
Fremantle | Fairest and best | Kiara Bowers | [19] |
Geelong | Best and fairest | Meg McDonald | [19] |
Greater Western Sydney | Gabrielle Trainor Medal | Rebecca Beeson | [19] |
Melbourne | Best and fairest | Karen Paxman | [19] |
North Melbourne | Best and fairest | Jenna Bruton | [19] |
Western Bulldogs | Best and fairest | Monique Conti | [23] |
AFLW leading goalkicker
- Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the player led the season's goal kicking tally at the end of that round.
Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Stevie-Lee Thompson | 0 | 44 | 15 | 27 | 29 | 312 | 113 | 13 |
2 | Erin Phillips | 0 | 11 | 34 | 26 | 28 | 19 | 09 | 9 |
3 | Emma King | 2 | 24 | 04 | 37 | 18 | 08 | 08 | 8 |
Mo Hope | 1 | 01 | 12 | 24 | 15 | 16 | 28 | ||
Ashley Sharp | 2 | 24 | 04 | 04 | 04 | 26 | 28 | ||
Tegan Cunningham | 1 | 01 | 12 | 13 | 36 | 28 | 08 | ||
Gemma Houghton | 2 | 13 | 03 | 03 | 25 | 27 | 17 | ||
Jess Wuetschner | 3 | 25 | 05 | 16 | 06 | 17 | 18 | ||
9 | Eloise Jones | 0 | 22 | 13 | 25 | 16 | 17 | 07 | 7 |
Kellie Gibson | 0 | 00 | 22 | 13 | 36 | 06 | 17 | ||
Danielle Ponter | 0 | 00 | 00 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 16 | ||
Sabreena Duffy | 1 | 23 | 03 | 03 | 25 | 05 | 27 | ||
Christina Bernardi | 1 | 01 | 23 | 03 | 14 | 15 | 27 | ||
Tayla Harris | 0 | 00 | 33 | 03 | 14 | 26 | 17 |
Coach changes
Club | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
North Melbourne | Inaugural coach | Scott Gowans[24] | 24 October 2017 | ||
Geelong | Inaugural coach | Paul Hood[25] | 23 February 2018 | ||
Collingwood | Wayne Siekman | Sacked[26] | 4 April 2019 | Stephen Symonds[27] | 4 June 2019 |
Western Bulldogs | Paul Groves | Resigned[28] | 17 June 2019 | Nathan Burke[29] | 19 September 2019 |
Club leadership
See also
References
External links
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