Three Swans have earned coaches votes after Round 5 with two midfielders polling the top votes. For a third time this season Sofia Hurley and Laura Gardiner were recognised with eight and nine votes respectively.
Gardiner, our 2023 AFLW Club Champion, was once again prolific around the ball finishing with a game-high 31 disposals and brought pressure through the midfield with eight tackles.
Hurley, who was named the club's Rising Star in 2023, was similarly influential with 20 disposals, seven tackles and one goal to her name.
For a third consecutive week co-captain Lucy McEvoy was also named, earning one coaches vote for her role in the forward half. The skipper has taken on important on-field leadership duties this year following Chloe Molloy's season-ending ACL injury.
VOTES PLAYER (CLUB)
9 Laura Gardiner (SYD)
8 Sofia Hurley (SYD)
7 Britney Gutknecht (WB)
2 Elle Bennetts (WB)
2 Jess Fitzgerald (WB)
1 Alice Edmonds (WB)
1 Lucy McEvoy (SYD)
Click here for the full leaderboard.
After a heartbreaking seven point loss to the Western Bulldogs in Round 5 the team will return to Mission Whitten Oval this Wednesday night to play Essendon. The weeknight battle is part of the new split round which is hoped to grow the game.
The AFL Coaches Association AFLW Champion Player of the Year is an award voted by the AFLW senior coaches on a 5,4,3,2,1 basis after each home and away game, acknowledging outstanding effort to an individual player in a season.
