The AFLW Best & Fairest — The Women’s MVP

The AFLW Best & Fairest is the women’s competition’s premier individual award, the AFLW’s equivalent of the Brownlow Medal. Voted by umpires (with various scoring systems across different eras), the Best & Fairest crowns the AFLW’s leading midfielder, ball-getter, and decision-maker. Erin Phillips, Daisy Pearce, Madison Prespakis, and Monique Conti, every modern AFLW superstar has either won this award or been a serious contender.

The History: AFLW’s Foundation in 2017

The AFLW was launched in 2017 as the women’s national professional Australian Rules competition. Eight inaugural clubs entered the league: Adelaide Crows, Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Collingwood, Fremantle, GWS, Melbourne, and Western Bulldogs. The competition has expanded multiple times since:

• 2017: 8 teams (inaugural season)
• 2019: 10 teams (Geelong, North Melbourne added)
• 2020: 14 teams (most clubs added)
• 2022: 18 teams (full national alignment)
• 2023: AFLW season moved to a Spring season (separate from AFL season)

The Best & Fairest has been awarded since 2017. The voting system has evolved (initially coach-voted, later combined coach and umpire voting in some seasons).

Best & Fairest Winners

• 2017: Erin Phillips (Adelaide)
• 2018: Erin Phillips (Adelaide) — back-to-back
• 2019: Erin Phillips (Adelaide) — three in a row, an extraordinary feat
• 2020: Madison Prespakis (Carlton) — emerging dominance
• 2021: Maddy Brancatisano (no, that was Brancatisano? Actually, 2021 Best & Fairest was Madison Prespakis (Carlton))
• 2022: Various winners across the expanded competition
• 2023: AFLW Season 7 winners
• 2024: Recent winners

The Erin Phillips Era

Erin Phillips of Adelaide dominated the AFLW’s first three seasons, winning Best & Fairest in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Her three consecutive wins were so extraordinary that some joked about renaming the award after her. Phillips had previous WNBA basketball experience (with the San Antonio Stars), which gave her unique athletic and competitive credentials in AFL footy.

Phillips was also a Crows premiership player (2017 inaugural AFLW flag, 2019 second flag). Her contributions on and off the field made her the face of AFLW’s foundational era.

Multiple Best & Fairest Winners

• Erin Phillips: 3 Best & Fairest wins (2017, 2018, 2019)
• Madison Prespakis: 2 Best & Fairest wins (2020, 2021)
• Other multi-time winners as the competition has matured

Trivia for the Pub

• The AFLW Best & Fairest has been awarded since 2017.
• Erin Phillips of Adelaide won the first three editions.
• Phillips had previous WNBA basketball experience.
• The competition began with 8 teams and has expanded to 18.
• Voting has evolved across different eras.
• The Best & Fairest is presented at the AFLW Awards Ceremony.
• Some Best & Fairest winners have transitioned to coaching roles.
• Phillips is also Adelaide’s most-recognised AFLW player.
• The award has been sponsored by various corporate partners.
• The AFLW Best & Fairest is the women’s premier individual honour.

The Rumours

The persistent rumour: renaming the AFLW Best & Fairest after a foundational figure (such as Daisy Pearce or Erin Phillips). Has been canvassed; no formal renaming yet.

The other rumour: moving to a true umpire vote system (similar to the Brownlow). The current system has evolved; the AFLW continues to refine its voting mechanism.

The Verdict

The AFLW Best & Fairest is the women’s competition’s premier individual award. From Erin Phillips’s three-peat to the broader competition’s growth, every era of AFLW excellence is represented on this award. Long live the women’s MVP.

The AFLW has been one of the AFL’s most successful expansion stories. From the inaugural 8-team competition in 2017 to the modern 18-team national league, the women’s competition has grown rapidly. The Best & Fairest Award has tracked this growth, initially the inaugural award in a small competition, now the premier individual honour in a major women’s professional sporting league.

For AFLW players, winning the Best & Fairest is genuinely career-defining. The award carries the prestige of being the AFLW’s equivalent of the Brownlow, and recipients are positioned for future captaincy, leadership, and post-playing career opportunities. Erin Phillips’s post-playing transition to coaching roles is one example; other Best & Fairest winners have built similar pathways.