2022 AFL Women's season 6

For the AFL Women's season that took place from August to November 2022, see 2022 AFL Women's season 7.

2022 AFL Women's season 6 was the sixth season of the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition, the highest-level senior women's Australian rules football competition in Australia. The season featured 14 clubs and ran from 7 January to 9 April, comprising a ten-round home-and-away season followed by a three-week finals series featuring the top six clubs. It was the first of two seasons to take place in the 2022 calendar year, with the competition's seventh season held from August to November.

2022 AFL Women's season 6
Overview
Date	7 January—9 April 2022
Teams	14
Premiers	Adelaide 3rd premiership
Runners-up	Melbourne 1st runners-up result
Minor premiers	Adelaide 2nd minor premiership
Best and fairest	Emily Bates (Brisbane) 21 votes
Leading goalkicker	Ashleigh Woodland (Adelaide) 19 goals
Attendance
Matches played	75
Total attendance	144,271 (1,924 per match)
Highest (H&A)	5,533 (round 1, Fremantle v West Coast)
Highest (finals)	16,712 (grand final, Adelaide v Melbourne)
← 2021 2022 (S7) →

Adelaide won the premiership, defeating Melbourne by 13 points in the 2022 AFL Women's season 6 Grand Final; it was Adelaide's third AFL Women's premiership. Adelaide also won the minor premiership by finishing atop the home-and-away ladder with a 9–1 win–loss record. Brisbane's Emily Bates won the AFL Women's best and fairest award as the league's best and fairest player, and Adelaide's Ashleigh Woodland won the AFL Women's leading goalkicker award as the league's leading goalkicker.

Format

The season was formatted mostly the same as the previous season, with each of the fourteen clubs ranked on a single ladder and the top six teams qualifying for the three-week, single-elimination finals series. The only change was extension of the home-and-away season by an additional round, allowing each team to play 10 matches.^[1] The season was originally planned to start in December 2021, but in August 2021 it was decided to delay this to January 2022 in the hope of minimising COVID-19 pandemic interruptions.^[2] This was the last season to be contested by 14 teams, with the four remaining AFL clubs (Essendon, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Sydney) joining the AFLW competition in 2023.^[3]

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic

Tahlia Hickie (Brisbane Lions) competes in a ruck contest against Sophie Alexander (Collingwood) during the Lions' Round 5 victory over the Magpies at Maroochydore Multi Sports Complex.

The 2022 season was played during the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the start of the season, the roll-out of Australia's original two-dose vaccination program was almost complete with more than 90% uptake. Across all states except for Western Australia, most social and interstate travel restrictions which had been in place through the latter half of 2021 had been lifted;^[4] cases of the virus, particularly the omicron variant which became dominant in December 2021, were widespread in the community for the first time in the pandemic; and confirmed cases and their close contacts were still required to test and isolate, although for shorter periods than earlier in the pandemic.^[5] In contrast, Western Australia opened the season with very few virus cases in its community, and with its state borders closed to the rest of Australia, with a planned full reopening date of 5 February 2022 which was later changed to a restricted reopening, with the full reopening indefinitely delayed.^[6]

The main impacts of the pandemic to the AFLW season were:

• The league implemented a Vaccination Policy requiring all players and football department staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19;^[7] equivalent requirements were implemented by some state governments.^[8]
• Fremantle and West Coast, following a Round 1 Western Derby in Fremantle, travelled to Victoria and were based there until the Western Australian borders had their restricted opening.^[9] Late season matches were brought forward into this window to try to minimize the impact of the border restrictions,^[10] while the league received permission for teams to travel into Western Australia for matches after the opening.^[11]
• A match Rescheduling Policy was put in place to allow for a match to be rescheduled, redrawn or cancelled if one of its clubs was unable to field at least 21 players – including at least 16 from its primary list with five train-on players – due to absences from the team.^[12]

Home-and-away season

All starting times are local time. Source: Australian Football

Round 1

	Round 1
Friday, 7 January (7:15 pm)	St Kilda 3.5 (23)	def. by	Richmond 10.1 (61)	Skybus Stadium (crowd: 3,324)	Report
Saturday, 8 January (5:10 pm)	North Melbourne 4.2 (26)	def.	Geelong 2.6 (18)	Arden Street Oval (crowd: 1,872)	Report
Saturday, 8 January (7:00 pm)	Western Bulldogs 3.4 (22)	def. by	Melbourne 6.10 (46)	Victoria University Whitten Oval (crowd: 2,571)	Report
Saturday, 8 January (5:50 pm)	Fremantle 6.7 (43)	def.	West Coast 2.3 (15)	Fremantle Oval (crowd: 5,533)	Report
Sunday, 9 January (1:40 pm)	Adelaide 6.3 (39)	def.	Brisbane Lions 1.3 (9)	Flinders University Stadium (crowd: 1,805)	Report
Sunday, 9 January (4:10 pm)	Carlton 3.7 (25)	def. by	Collingwood 6.8 (44)	Ikon Park (crowd: 3,511)	Report
Sunday, 9 January (5:10 pm)	Gold Coast 3.3 (21)	def. by	Greater Western Sydney 5.6 (36)	Great Barrier Reef Arena (crowd: 1,535)	Report

Round 2

	Round 2
Friday, 14 January (7:10 pm)	Richmond 6.2 (38)	def. by	Melbourne 8.6 (54)	Swinburne Centre (crowd: 1,517)	Report
Saturday, 15 January (3:10 pm)	Collingwood 6.5 (41)	def.	St Kilda 2.2 (14)	Victoria Park (crowd: 2,546)	Report
Saturday, 15 January (7:10 pm)	Geelong 2.5 (17)	def. by	Carlton 4.7 (31)	GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 2,144)	Report
Sunday, 16 January (12:40 pm)	West Coast 5.3 (33)	def. by	Gold Coast 7.4 (46)	Victoria University Whitten Oval (crowd: 587) (Moved from Mineral Resources Park[13])	Report
Sunday, 16 January (2:40 pm)	Adelaide 5.7 (37)	def.	North Melbourne 3.6 (24)	Norwood Oval (crowd: 2,010)	Report
Sunday, 16 January (5:10 pm)	Fremantle 7.10 (52)	def.	Greater Western Sydney 2.8 (20)	Victoria University Whitten Oval (crowd: 667) (Moved from Fremantle Oval[13])	Report
	Bye Brisbane Lions, Western Bulldogs
Western Bulldogs were scheduled to play Geelong, and Brisbane Lions were scheduled to play Carlton, but neither clubs could field a team due to COVID-19 absences. The schedule was altered on 13 January under the Rescheduling Policy, with Geelong redrawn to host Carlton, and the Bulldogs redrawn to play the Lions in a match which will be scheduled for a later date.[14]

Round 3

	Round 3
Friday, 21 January (7:10 pm)	Geelong 3.6 (24)	def. by	Collingwood 5.5 (35)	GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 2,265)	Report
Saturday, 22 January (12:40 pm)	West Coast 1.3 (9)	def. by	Adelaide 6.6 (42)	Swinburne Centre (crowd: 323) (Moved from Mineral Resources Park[13])	Report
Saturday, 22 January (3:10 pm)	Melbourne 9.10 (64)	def.	St Kilda 3.5 (23)	Casey Fields (crowd: 1,217)	Report
Saturday, 22 January (5:10 pm)	Richmond 7.5 (47)	def. by	Fremantle 11.11 (77)	Swinburne Centre (crowd: 1,078)	Report
Sunday, 23 January (1:10 pm)	North Melbourne 7.12 (54)	def.	Greater Western Sydney 4.3 (27)	Arden Street Oval (crowd: 1,157)	Report
Tuesday, 25 January (6:10 pm)	Brisbane Lions 9.9 (63)	def.	Carlton 4.4 (28)	Metricon Stadium (crowd: 814)	Report
	Bye Gold Coast, Western Bulldogs
Two fixtures were cancelled; Gold Coast vs. Brisbane Lions and Western Bulldogs vs. Carlton, and the matches were re-arranged. The league scheduled Brisbane vs. Carlton for 25 January and Gold Coast vs. Western Bulldogs for 22 February.[15][16]

Round 4

	Round 4
Thursday, 27 January (5:40 pm)	Collingwood 1.1 (7)	def. by	Fremantle 5.8 (38)	Victoria Park (crowd: 1,257)	Report
Friday, 28 January (5:10 pm)	Greater Western Sydney 7.1 (43)	def.	Western Bulldogs 2.10 (22)	Henson Park (crowd: 2,683)	Report
Saturday, 29 January (2:40 pm)	Adelaide 4.11 (35)	def.	Melbourne 3.3 (21)	Norwood Oval (crowd: 2,405)	Report
Saturday, 29 January (4:10 pm)	Brisbane Lions 3.9 (27)	def.	Geelong 4.1 (25)	Maroochydore Multi Sports Complex (crowd: 1,832)	Report
Sunday, 30 January (3:10 pm)	Carlton 3.3 (21)	def. by	North Melbourne 7.9 (51)	Ikon Park (crowd: 2,329)	Report
Sunday, 30 January (4:10 pm)	Gold Coast 5.9 (39)	def.	Richmond 5.4 (34)	Metricon Stadium (crowd: 1,329)	Report
	Bye St Kilda, West Coast

	Additional Match
Tuesday, 1 February (7:10 pm)	Western Bulldogs 2.7 (19)	def. by	Fremantle 3.7 (25)	Victoria University Whitten Oval (crowd: 913)	Report
Two matches were brought forward from rounds six and ten respectively in response to Western Australia's ongoing border closures; these matches have been marketed as "additional matches" rather than belonging to their original rounds. Most matches in this round had their timeslots changed in order to accommodate these additional matches.[10] Due to COVID cases in West Coast's playing squad, their game was later returned to its previous round 6 fixture.[17]

Round 5

	Round 5
Friday, 4 February (7:10 pm)	Geelong 4.3 (27)	def.	West Coast 3.6 (24)	GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 1,938)	Report
Saturday, 5 February (4:10 pm)	Brisbane Lions 5.5 (35)	def.	Collingwood 1.5 (11)	Maroochydore Multi Sports Complex (crowd: 1,667)	Report
Saturday, 5 February (7:10 pm)	Melbourne 5.8 (38)	def.	Gold Coast 4.2 (26)	Casey Fields (crowd: 1,124)	Report
Sunday, 6 February (1:10 pm)	Western Bulldogs 4.6 (30)	def.	Richmond 1.7 (13)	Victoria University Whitten Oval (crowd: 2,159)	Report
Sunday, 6 February (3:10 pm)	Carlton 1.6 (12)	def. by	Adelaide 7.9 (51)	Ikon Park (crowd: 1,403)	Report
Sunday, 6 February (5:10 pm)	North Melbourne 3.8 (26)	def.	Fremantle 2.4 (16)	North Hobart Oval (crowd: 1,261)	Report
Tuesday, 8 February (5:10 pm)	St Kilda 2.8 (20)	def. by	West Coast 2.10 (22)	Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval (crowd: 665)	Report
	Bye Greater Western Sydney
The match between Greater Western Sydney and St Kilda was postponed due to COVID protocols, and St Kilda played a make-up game against West Coast.[18]

Round 6

	Round 6
Friday, 11 February (6:10 pm)	Gold Coast 7.7 (49)	def.	Geelong 6.2 (38)	Metricon Stadium (crowd: 683)	Report
Saturday, 12 February (2:10 pm)	Richmond 2.6 (18)	def. by	North Melbourne 5.7 (37)	Swinburne Centre (crowd: 1,093)	Report
Saturday, 12 February (4:10 pm)	Melbourne 6.8 (44)	def.	Greater Western Sydney 1.1 (7)	Casey Fields (crowd: 787)	Report
Saturday, 12 February (3:10 pm)	Fremantle 7.9 (51)	def.	Carlton 1.3 (9)	Fremantle Oval (crowd: 2,524)	Report
Sunday, 13 February (1:10 pm)	St Kilda 4.2 (26)	def. by	Brisbane Lions 3.13 (31)	Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval (crowd: 1,010)	Report
Sunday, 13 February (12:10 pm)	West Coast 3.4 (22)	def. by	Collingwood 7.4 (46)	Mineral Resources Park (crowd: 1,295) (Moved from Victoria Park[19])	Report
Sunday, 13 February (4:40 pm)	Adelaide 7.6 (48)	def. by	Western Bulldogs 8.1 (49)	Norwood Oval (crowd: 2,181)	Report
Due to the AFL receiving exemptions for Victorian teams to enter Western Australia,[11] West Coast and Fremantle were cleared to host matches and several changes were made to the fixture as a result.[19]

Round 7

	Round 7
Thursday, 17 February (6:40 pm)	Gold Coast 2.4 (16)	def. by	Brisbane Lions 12.13 (85)	Metricon Stadium (crowd: 1,105)	Report
Friday, 18 February (7:10 pm)	Western Bulldogs 3.10 (28)	def.	Geelong 2.4 (16)	Victoria University Whitten Oval (crowd: 1,530)	Report
Saturday, 19 February (3:10 pm)	Greater Western Sydney 0.5 (5)	def. by	Adelaide 5.15 (45)	Henson Park (crowd: 1,955)	Report
Saturday, 19 February (5:10 pm)	Carlton 7.6 (48)	def.	St Kilda 0.2 (2)	Ikon Park (crowd: 1,642)	Report
Saturday, 19 February (4:10 pm)	West Coast 7.3 (45)	def. by	Richmond 10.8 (68)	Mineral Resources Park (crowd: 878)	Report
Sunday, 20 February (3:10 pm)	North Melbourne 6.2 (38)	def.	Collingwood 2.3 (15)	North Hobart Oval (crowd: 869)	Report
Monday, 21 February (6:10 pm)	Brisbane Lions 4.8 (32)	def. by	Melbourne 5.5 (35)	Metricon Stadium (crowd: 790)	Report
Tuesday, 22 February (6:10 pm)	Gold Coast 6.5 (41)	drew with	Western Bulldogs 6.5 (41)	Metricon Stadium (crowd: 629)	Report
	Bye Fremantle
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, matches were added to this round, and some of the matches of the round were rescheduled.[16]

Round 8

	Round 8
Wednesday, 23 February (5:40 pm)	Greater Western Sydney 6.5 (41)	def.	St Kilda 5.9 (39)	Blacktown ISP Oval (crowd: 427)	Report
Saturday, 26 February (12:10 pm)	Fremantle 2.4 (16)	def. by	Adelaide 3.7 (25)	Fremantle Oval (crowd: 2,419)	Report
Saturday, 26 February (5:10 pm)	Richmond 1.4 (10)	def. by	Geelong 5.3 (33)	Swinburne Centre (crowd: 1,521)	Report
Saturday, 26 February (7:10 pm)	Melbourne 4.3 (27)	def.	North Melbourne 2.5 (17)	Casey Fields (crowd: 1,408)	Report
Sunday, 27 February (1:10 pm)	St Kilda 5.4 (34)	def.	Gold Coast 4.7 (31)	Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval (crowd: 841)	Report
Sunday, 27 February (3:10 pm)	Collingwood 10.6 (66)	def.	Western Bulldogs 6.5 (41)	Victoria Park (crowd: 2,796)	Report
Sunday, 27 February (2:10 pm)	West Coast 4.0 (24)	def. by	Brisbane Lions 15.8 (98)	Mineral Resources Park (crowd: 730)	Report
Sunday, 27 February (7:10 pm)	Greater Western Sydney 5.3 (33)	def. by	Carlton 7.9 (51)	Manuka Oval (crowd: 1,839)	Report
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, matches were added to this round, and some of the matches of the round were rescheduled.[16] Katherine Smith became the first player to kick a goal after the siren to win an AFLW match, resulting in Greater Western Sydney's two-point victory against St Kilda.[20] The Brisbane Lions's score of 15.8 (98) and winning margin of 74 points both set new records as the highest in the history of the competition.[21] Darcy Vescio of Carlton became the first player to kick 50 career goals in the league.[22]

Round 9

	Round 9
Saturday, 5 March (3:10 pm)	St Kilda 2.6 (18)	def.	Geelong 0.9 (9)	RSEA Park (crowd: 947)	Report
Saturday, 5 March (5:10 pm)	Greater Western Sydney 6.2 (38)	def. by	Richmond 7.4 (46)	GIANTS Stadium (crowd: 613) (Moved from Blacktown ISP Oval[23])	Report
Saturday, 5 March (4:00 pm)	Fremantle 3.1 (19)	def. by	Melbourne 16.11 (107)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 2,717) (Moved from Fremantle Oval[23])	Report
Saturday, 5 March (6:40 pm)	West Coast 1.2 (8)	def. by	Western Bulldogs 10.8 (68)	Optus Stadium (crowd: 3,164) (Moved from Mineral Resources Park[23])	Report
Sunday, 6 March (1:10 pm)	Brisbane Lions 7.8 (50)	def.	North Melbourne 2.2 (14)	Victoria University Whitten Oval (crowd: 695) (Moved from Maroochydore Multi Sports Complex[24])	Report
Sunday, 6 March (2:40 pm)	Adelaide 4.6 (30)	def.	Collingwood 4.4 (28)	Norwood Oval (crowd: 2,572)	Report
Sunday, 6 March (5:10 pm)	Carlton 7.4 (46)	def.	Gold Coast 2.4 (16)	Ikon Park (crowd: 1,052)	Report
Melbourne's score of 16.11 (107) and winning margin of 88 points both set new records as the highest in the history of the competition, breaking the records set just one round before.[25]

Round 10

	Round 10
Friday, 11 March (6:10 pm)	Geelong 5.5 (35)	def. by	Greater Western Sydney 8.5 (53)	GMHBA Stadium (crowd: 1,603)	Report
Saturday, 12 March (3:10 pm)	Collingwood 6.11 (47)	def.	Richmond 1.3 (9)	Victoria Park (crowd: 2,221)	Report
Saturday, 12 March (5:10 pm)	North Melbourne 9.5 (59)	def.	West Coast 3.2 (20)	Arden Street Oval (crowd: 1,032)	Report
Saturday, 12 March (7:10 pm)	Melbourne 5.4 (34)	def.	Carlton 5.3 (33)	Casey Fields (crowd: 1,309)	Report
Sunday, 13 March (1:10 pm)	St Kilda 2.2 (14)	def. by	Adelaide 7.11 (53)	RSEA Park (crowd: 1,174)	Report
Sunday, 13 March (3:10 pm)	Western Bulldogs 5.4 (34)	def. by	Brisbane Lions 10.6 (66)	Mars Stadium (crowd: 1,526)	Report
Sunday, 13 March (2:10 pm)	Fremantle 7.4 (46)	def.	Gold Coast 0.9 (9)	Fremantle Oval (crowd: 544)	Report
The original fixture, released in December 2021 had Collingwood playing Gold Coast; Richmond playing Brisbane Lions; and Western Bulldogs playing Fremantle.[26]

Ladder

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	D	PF	PA	PP	Pts	Qualification
1	Adelaide (P)	10	9	1	0	405	187	216.6	36	Finals series
2	Melbourne	10	9	1	0	470	252	186.5	36
3	Brisbane	10	8	2	0	496	252	196.8	32
4	North Melbourne	10	7	3	0	346	249	139.0	28
5	Fremantle	10	7	3	0	383	284	134.9	28
6	Collingwood	10	6	4	0	340	276	123.2	24
7	Western Bulldogs	10	4	5	1	354	372	95.2	18
8	Carlton	10	4	6	0	304	362	84.0	16
9	Greater Western Sydney	10	4	6	0	303	409	74.1	16
10	Gold Coast	10	3	6	1	294	431	68.2	14
11	Richmond	10	3	7	0	344	423	81.3	12
12	Geelong	10	2	8	0	242	301	80.4	8
13	St Kilda	10	2	8	0	213	401	53.1	8
14	West Coast	10	1	9	0	222	517	42.9	4

Source: Womens.AFL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers

Finals series

	Qualifying finals					Preliminary finals					Grand Final
						1	Adelaide	6.4 (40)
	4	North Melbourne	4.7 (31)			5	Fremantle	4.2 (26)
	5	Fremantle	11.3 (69)									Adelaide	4.5 (29)
												Melbourne	2.4 (16)
						2	Melbourne	5.3 (33)
	3	Brisbane Lions	10.10 (70)			3	Brisbane Lions	4.5 (29)
	6	Collingwood	3.2 (20)

Qualifying finals

	Qualifying finals
QF2: Saturday, 19 March (2:10 pm)	North Melbourne 4.7 (31)	def. by	Fremantle 11.3 (69)	Arden Street Oval (crowd: 1,274)	Report
QF1: Sunday, 27 March (12:05 pm)	Brisbane Lions 10.10 (70)	def.	Collingwood 3.2 (20)	Gabba (crowd: 2,675)	Report
The Brisbane Lions vs. Collingwood match was postponed eight days, as Collingwood fell below the minimum number of players needed to field a side due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the playing group.[27] This caused the preliminary finals and grand final to each be pushed back one week.[28]

Preliminary finals

	Preliminary finals
PF2: Saturday, 2 April (12:40pm)	Melbourne 5.3 (33)	def.	Brisbane Lions 4.5 (29)	MCG (crowd: 6,436)	Report
PF1: Saturday, 2 April (2:10pm)	Adelaide 6.4 (40)	def.	Fremantle 4.2 (26)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 5,452)	Report

Grand final

Main article: 2022 AFL Women's season 6 Grand Final

	Grand Final
Saturday, 9 April (12:00 pm)	Adelaide 4.5 (29)	def.	Melbourne 2.4 (16)	Adelaide Oval (crowd: 16,712)	Report

Awards

League awards

• The league best and fairest was awarded to Emily Bates of the Brisbane Lions, who polled 21 votes.^[29]
• The leading goalkicker was awarded to Ashleigh Woodland of Adelaide, who kicked 19 goals during the home and away season.^[30]
• The Rising Star was awarded to Mimi Hill of Carlton.^[31]
• The best on ground medal in the AFL Women's Grand Final was won by Anne Hatchard of Adelaide.^[32]
• The goal of the year was awarded to Ebony Antonio of Fremantle.^[33]
• The mark of the year was awarded to Tahlia Randall of North Melbourne.^[33]
• AFLW Players Association awards:
  • The most valuable player was awarded to Emily Bates of the Brisbane Lions.^[34]
  • The most courageous player was awarded to Kirsty Lamb of the Western Bulldogs.^[34]
  • The best captain was awarded to Daisy Pearce of Melbourne.^[34]
  • The best first year player was awarded to Charlie Rowbottom of Gold Coast.^[34]
• The AFLW Coaches Association awards:
  • The champion player of the year was awarded to Emily Bates of the Brisbane Lions.^[35]
  • The senior coach of the year was awarded to Mick Stinear of Melbourne.^[36]
• Emma Kearney was named captain of the All-Australian team. Nine of the fourteen clubs had at least one representative in the 21-woman team.^[37]
• The minor premiership was won by Adelaide.
• The wooden spoon was "won" by West Coast.

Best and fairests

Club	Award name	Player(s)	Ref.
Adelaide	Club Champion	Anne Hatchard	[38]
Brisbane Lions	Best and fairest	Emily Bates
Carlton	Best and fairest	Madison Prespakis
Collingwood	Best and fairest	Jaimee Lambert
Fremantle	Fairest and best	Hayley Miller
Geelong	Best and fairest	Amy McDonald
Gold Coast	Club Champion	Alison Drennan
Greater Western Sydney	Gabrielle Trainor Medal	Alyce Parker
Melbourne	Best and fairest	Daisy Pearce
North Melbourne	Best and fairest	Ashleigh Riddell
Richmond	Best and fairest	Monique Conti
St Kilda	Best and fairest	Bianca Jakobsson
West Coast	Club Champion	Emma Swanson
Western Bulldogs	Best and fairest	Ellie Blackburn & Kirsty Lamb

Leading goalkickers

• Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the player led the season's goal kicking tally at the end of that round.
• Numbers underlined indicates the player did not play in that round.

Rank	Player	Team	1	2	3	4		5		6	7		8		9	10	Total
1	Ashleigh Woodland	Adelaide	44	48	210	010		010		212	214		115		217	219	19
2	Tayla Harris	Melbourne	11	23	36	17		29		211	213		215		318	018	18
	Cora Staunton	Greater Western Sydney	22	24	15	16		06		06	06		39	211	314	418
4	Katie Brennan	Richmond	22	24	15	27		18		19	211		112		214	014	14
5	Tara Bohanna	Gold Coast	11	34	04	26		06		17	07	29	312		113	013	13
	Daisy Pearce	Melbourne	00	11	12	24		15		16	06		06		511	213
7	Kate Hore	Melbourne	22	24	15	05		05		27	07		18		311	011	11
8	Greta Bodey	Brisbane Lions	11	01	23	03		14		15	05	16	28		08	210	10
	Sophie Conway	Brisbane Lions	00	00	00	00		00		11	12	13	36		28	210
	Jasmine Garner	North Melbourne	00	11	12	02		02		03	36		17		18	210
	Phoebe McWilliams	Geelong	11	12	02	02		24		26	17		29		09	110
	Bonnie Toogood	Western Bulldogs	11	01	01	01	12	13		25	27	07	07		29	110

Source:^[39]

Coach changes

Club	Outgoing coach	Manner of departure	Date of vacancy	Incoming coach	Date of appointment
Greater Western Sydney	Alan McConnell	Resigned[40]	25 March 2022	Cameron Bernasconi[41]	12 April 2022

Club leadership

Club	Coach	Captain(s)	Vice-captain(s)	Leadership group	Ref
Adelaide	Matthew Clarke	Chelsea Randall		Sarah Allan, Eloise Jones, Stevie-Lee Thompson	[42]
Brisbane Lions	Craig Starcevich	Breanna Koenen	Emily Bates	Ally Anderson, Shannon Campbell, Sophie Conway, Nat Grider, Kate Lutkins, Cathy Svarc	[43]
Carlton	Daniel Harford	Kerryn Harrington	Elise O'Dea, Darcy Vescio		[44]
Collingwood	Stephen Symonds	Steph Chiocci, Brianna Davey	Brittany Bonnici, Stacey Livingstone, Ruby Schleicher		[45]
Fremantle	Trent Cooper	Hayley Miller	Kiara Bowers, Angelique Stannett	Stephanie Cain, Gabby O'Sullivan	[46]
Geelong	Daniel Lowther	Meg McDonald	Nina Morrison	Julia Crockett-Grills, Chantel Emonson, Madeline Keryk, Georgie Rankin	[47]
Gold Coast	Cameron Joyce	Hannah Dunn	Bess Keaney	Jamie Stanton, Serene Watson	[48]
Greater Western Sydney	Alan McConnell	Alicia Eva	Nicola Barr, Chloe Dalton, Alyce Parker, Pepa Randall, Cora Staunton		[49]
Melbourne	Mick Stinear	Daisy Pearce	Karen Paxman	Libby Birch, Maddison Gay, Tyla Hanks, Kate Hore, Sarah Lampard, Lily Mithen, Lauren Pearce	[50]
North Melbourne	Darren Crocker	Emma Kearney	Emma King	Nicole Bresnehan, Jasmine Garner, Danielle Hardiman, Ashleigh Riddell	[51]
Richmond	Ryan Ferguson	Katie Brennan	Harriet Cordner, Sarah Hosking		[52]
St Kilda	Nick Dal Santo	Hannah Priest	Kate Shierlaw, Rhiannon Watt	Bianca Jakobsson, Tilly Lucas-Rodd	[53]
West Coast	Michael Prior	Emma Swanson	Dana Hooker	Parris Laurie, Aisling McCarthy	[54]
Western Bulldogs	Nathan Burke	Ellie Blackburn	Brooke Lochland	Ashleigh Guest, Bailey Hunt, Isabel Huntington, Kirsty Lamb, Bonnie Toogood	[55]

References

1. Logue, Matt (26 August 2021). "Covid forces the AFLW season to be delayed until January". news.com.au. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
2. "AFLW season start pushed back until January". womens.afl. 26 August 2021.
3. Tom Richardson (12 August 2021). "'Our club is complete': Port Adelaide to join 18-team women's league". In Daily.
4. Ben Westcott and Caitlin McGee (15 December 2021). "Australia moves to lift Covid-19 restrictions amid surge in Omicron infections". CNN. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
5. "Australia's Covid surge in four charts: NSW now has one of world's highest infection rates". the Guardian. 31 December 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
6. Jacob Kagi (13 December 2021). "How life will change on WA border open date, when a raft of COVID restrictions will take effect". ABC. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
7. Damian Barrett (21 October 2021). "NO JAB, NO PLAY: AFL releases vaccination policy". Australian Football League. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
8. "COVID-19 vaccinations: legislation and public health orders". Fair Work Ombudsman. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
9. Justin Chadwick (9 January 2022). "Freo, Eagles brace for long AFLW road trip". Inner West Review. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
10. Black, Sarah (24 January 2022). "FIXTURE UPDATE: Thursday footy returns, Dogs, Eagles play two games in five days". AFL Women's. Telstra Media. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
11. "AFL finalises exemptions for clubs to enter WA". ESPN. 9 February 2022.
12. "AFL releases COVID match rescheduling guidelines". Australian Football League. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
13. "Statement: AFLW fixture changes after WA adjusts border rules". womens.afl. AFL Women's. 31 December 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
14. Gemma Bastiani (13 January 2022). "R2 FIXTURE SHAKE-UP: Two games cancelled, new match-ups revealed". womens.afl.
15. "R3 FIXTURE UPDATE: Two matches cancelled, Tuesday night clash confirmed". womens.afl. 20 January 2022.
16. Black, Sarah (11 February 2022). "FIXTURE UPDATE: Catch-up matches locked in for monster R7, R8". AFL Women's. Telstra.
17. "Magpies-Eagles match moved back to R6". AFL Women's. Telstra Media. 28 January 2022.
18. Black, Sarah (1 February 2022). "Giants hit by health and safety protocols, Saints game postponed". AFL Women's. Telstra Media.
19. Black, Sarah (9 February 2022). "R6 FIXTURE UPDATE: Blues, Pies head west under strict conditions". AFL Women's. Telstra Media.
20. "Final siren heartbreak as Giants snatch victory from Saints". AFLW. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
21. "Record-breaking Lions hammer hapless Eagles". AFLW. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
22. Isobel Cootes (27 February 2021). "AFLW round eight: Carlton downs GWS Giants by 18 points as Darcy Vescio hits historic 50th goal". Canberra Times.
23. "R9 FIXTURE: Blockbuster opens WA double-header, no Friday night footy". AFLW. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
24. "AFL confirms venue change for Brisbane v North Melbourne clash". AFLW. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
25. Bastiani, Gemma (5 March 2022). "DEE-MOLITION: Records tumble as Melbourne puts other clubs on notice". womens.afl. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
26. "AFL releases fixture for NAB AFLW Round 10 and Round One of the 2022 Toyota AFL Premiership Season". afl.com.au. 4 December 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
27. "Collingwood-Brisbane AFLW final postponed after COVID-19 hit Magpies squad". ABC News. 16 March 2022.
28. "NAB AFLW finals series update". womens.afl. 21 March 2022.
29. Sarah Black (5 April 2022). "LION QUEEN: Emily Bates crowned 2022 AFLW Best and Fairest". womens.afl.
30. "Crows seal top spot, star forward wraps up goalkicker award". womens.afl. 13 March 2022.
31. Gemma Bastiani (5 April 2022). "A Rising Star on the Hill: Blues star claims prestigious award". womens.afl.
32. Jonathan Horn (9 April 2022). "AFLW grand final 2022: Adelaide Crows v Melbourne Football Club – live!". The Guardian.
33. Sarah Black (5 April 2022). "Freo star, high-leaping Roo take out Goal and Mark of the year awards". womens.afl.
34. Sarah Black (6 April 2022). "MVP Awards: Lion's magical clean sweep, another gong for top Dee". womens.afl.
35. "Lion Queen: Gun midfielder claims coaches' award, tie for second". AFLW. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
36. Sarah Black (6 April 2022). "Demons coach awarded top honour ahead of AFLW Grand Final". womens.afl.
37. Ben Waterworth (5 April 2022). "Roos star's legend reaches new elite heights as full All-Australian team revealed". Fox Sports.
38. "Your club's B&F: North ball magnet wins maiden B&F". AFL Women's. Telstra Media. 27 May 2022.
39. "AFL - Every Goalkicker". australianfootball.com.
40. "GWS Giants to seek new AFLW coach". ESPN. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
41. McGowan, Marc (12 April 2022). "AFLW: Cameron Bernasconi to succeed Alan McConnell as GWS Giants' new AFLW coach". news.com.au. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
42. Harvey, Daniela (8 November 2021). "AFLW: Leadership group announced for 2022". Adelaide. Telstra Media.
43. "Tough As Nails With A Heart Of Gold". Brisbane Lions. Telstra Media. 5 November 2021.
44. "Game Changers announce 2022 leadership group". Carlton. Telstra Media. 6 December 2021.
45. "Chiocci and Davey to lead in 2022". Collingwood. Telstra Media. 1 December 2021.
46. "Miller to lead Fremantle into a new era!". Fremantle. Telstra Media. 3 December 2021.
47. Diggerson, Kevin (6 December 2021). "AFLW: McDonald to Lead Cats Again in 2022". Geelong. Telstra Media.
48. "Introducing our 2022 AFLW Captain, Vice-Captain and new look leadership group". Gold Coast Suns. Telstra Media. 5 December 2021.
49. "Eva to Lead New-Look Leadership Group". Greater Western Sydney Giants. Telstra Media. 26 October 2021.
50. Nobes, Caitlin (15 November 2021). "Pearce to lead the Demons for a fifth season". Melbourne. Telstra Media.
51. Woods, Dan (26 November 2021). "AFLW: Kearney fronts new-look leadership group". North Melbourne. Telstra Media.
52. "Brennan to captain Richmond AFLW for a third season". Richmond. Telstra Media. 12 November 2021.
53. "Priest to captain St Kilda in 2022". St Kilda. Telstra Media. 11 November 2021.
54. Henderson, Emma (21 September 2021). "AFLW: Swanson retains captaincy". West Coast Eagles. Telstra Media.
55. "Blackburn to lead Bulldogs again, leadership group unchanged". Western Bulldogs. Telstra Media. 25 November 2021.

External links

• Official AFL Women's website