AFLW superstar Erin Phillips has capped off an unparalleled week of success with Adelaide’s coveted Club Champion award at the dinner in Darwin on Friday night.
The 33-year-old set the benchmark for the competition once again in 2019 and was awarded with 150 of a possible 180 votes in the final tally to take out the award for the second time in three years.
She collected a perfect 20 votes in Adelaide’s Round Four victory over Fremantle and, across nine games, fell below 16 votes just once to finish with an average of 16.6.
But it wasn’t a clear runaway, with first-year Crow Jessica Foley finishing just 10 votes behind Phillips with 140.
In a reflection of Adelaide’s dominance as a unit in 2019, there was just 18 votes separating the top four.
Foley topped the votes in Round Seven and in the Preliminary Final with 19 in each.
In her debut season, the former basketballer thrived on a last-minute move into the ruck, where she was an integral part of Adelaide’s strength through the middle.
She averaged 20 hit-outs, 14.9 disposals, 3.3 clearances and kicked five goals to finish the season named in the 2019 AFLW All Australian squad.
Young guns Ebony Marinoff and Anne Hatchard tied for third place on 132 votes after the 21-year-olds dominated alongside Phillips in the midfield.
Marinoff took her game to another level this season, averaging 22.8 disposals, 8.3 tackles, four inside 50s and kicking her first AFLW goal in Round Seven.
A defender-turned-midfielder, Hatchard has shined in her first year in Adelaide’s engine room, delivering a career-high average of 18.9 disposals, compared 7.5 in 2018.
She also topped the votes in Adelaide’s Grand Final victory with 19 votes after collecting 23 disposals at 82.6 per cent efficiency and kicking the opening goal of the game.
Co-captain Chelsea Randall was the only player other than Phillips to achieve a perfect 20 votes after her dominant Round Five performance against North Melbourne.
It wasn’t just the coaching staff who recognised Phillips’ influence as the players crowned their co-captain as their 2019 Player’s Player.
In her honour, several of Phillips’ teammates described their co-captain in their own words.
The first award of the night went to former defender Stevie-Lee Thompson who took out the Club’s Leading Goalkicker Award after slotting 14 goals in her first season as a forward.
A breakout year for Deni Varnhagen was also recognised with the Best Defensive Player award after she averaged a career-best 11 disposals, 2.1 tackles and 2.2 inside 50s, while kicking four goals.
In the Crows Women’s Club Champion, votes are cast on a 0-4 basis by five coaches – Matthew Clarke, Narelle Smith, Andrew McLeod, Peter Caven and Tim Weatherald – after each game.
Final Leaderboard
Phillips – 150
Foley – 140
Hatchard – 132
Marinoff – 132
Mules – 116
Varnhagen – 113
Randall - 107
Allen – 103
Rajcic – 100
Thompson – 92
Award Winners 2019
Crows Women’s Club Champion – Erin Phillips
Runner-up – Jessica Foley
Third place – Ebony Marinoff/ Anne Hatchard
Players’ Player – Erin Phillips
Best Defensive Player – Deni Varnhagen
Leading Goalkicker – Stevie-Lee Thompson
Crows Women’s Club Champion winners
2017 – Erin Phillips
2018 – Chelsea Randall
2019 – Erin Phillips
