AFLW Top 8 Most Valuable Players for Season 2024

[Cdog71]

With 2024 done and dusted, thought it might be interesting who we thought was our best performers.
Some positives and some really good games from some and some different ways of playing to previous seasons.
Seemed like the forward pressure was a real focus with Ford and Yassir laying tackles and chasing.
Gabby to def seemed to stiffen us up a bit and release Miller.
And of course Sheerin in the middle was really good.

 

[sanaya]

could only think of 6 and so without thinking much more or looking up stats went with greegan and greiser, but far out, slim pickings

did rate poppy kelly's improvement this year so props to her, unlucky to miss out for me

 

[toenail63]

Apart from our Queen and the current competition AFLW best and fairest it's a hard one because a few players teased but weren't consistent across the whole season i.e Beth Lynch, Kate Dempsey had really good purple patches. I'd say Poppy Kelly who really took her game up to AFLW level to the point she was one of the better rucks in the comp. Eilish Sheerin didn't disappoint after an injury interrupted start, she did what we thought she would do and added real presence to our midfield and was an All Australian nomination. Ellie Mac, sometimes we forget how injuries can slow players development but she showed improvement this year with outstanding patches that had big impacts in games. Milsy keeps getting better year by year and was a worthy nominee to U22 AFLW team of the year. Katie Brennan between injuries had very good games, after a shocker against West Coast, and when she doesn't play or plays injured our forward line struggles. Bec is not only valuable as defender who takes on the best forward but her rebound is so important. Gabby went a bit under the radar this year but was still in my MVP's as she had to take on a bit with Sheerin moving and had a bit to juggle but regardless always gave 110%.

Honorable mention. Grace Egan halfway through the season would have been top 8 but had disappointing run home.

 

[toenail63]

Cdog71 Are you doing top 8 because it ties in with Tier 1&2 because I bet the end result doesn't match

 

[Cdog71]

Cdog71 Are you doing top 8 because it ties in with Tier 1&2 because I bet the end result doesn't match

Yeah in a roundabout way I spose but it’s alot more than simply that, it’s about different views on what’s valuable.
If Dempsey gets alotve the ball we generally win more than we lose and Yassir kicked 11.4 with 39 tackles, which player is more valuable?
I picked Gabby and I think it did help our def but is an Egan playing well more valuable?
The two games Brennan got injured during games..Grieser takes 8 marks and kicks 6 goals.
Is that more valuable than Poppy?
You mentioned you thought Hosking might be a Tier 2 player and it got me thinking.
I didn’t want to simply speculate who was getting paid what but I’m pretty solid in thinking the AFLW and teams, the growth and development is tangled up with the Tier 2 players and player payments.
If those valuable players can come on more quickly…if they only had their sport to focus on because the money supported it. I think it’s likely the overall standard will lift.

The curly question for me is when do we start targeting another Tier 1 player.
Brennan has had injuries every season last 3 and has never kicked more than 14 goals.
She’s 32.
I think 1v1 Cont winners and Goals/Goal asssis are the most valuable in a team.

 

[toenail63]

When you're talking about the value of a player as a label that is influenced by positional or structural factors then a top 8 is fluid within a season or seasons. I thought that moving Cox forward this season was going to be more valuable for the team then playing back, now that McKenzie Ford has filled this role I doubt we play Milsy, Ford and Cox all as small forwards.

Using Greiser as the main target forward, then would it be more valuable to move Brennan more to the midfield to arrest the momentum when oppo teams get on a roll from centre bounce. Is this more valuable when our team defence is under pressure transitioning from backline to forward line, we too often we turn the ball over in these chains because of skill errors, and oppo have multiple forward entries, then keeping Brennan forward when the ball is living at the other end of the ground.

IMO I think the current tier system in the women's is too structured and therefore somewhat limiting to player movement in the AFLW. Without the financial incentive to move up a tier then it would only be for reasons other than financial that a player would move clubs. When only being able to offer the same tier for a player to leave a club you can't then dangle the carrot of even a moderate financial gain, which is anti free agency rules IMO.

With targeting a tier one player and re Brennan what she could earn off cap, I don't believe sponsorship or extra's external to the club were capped but maybe they are now? other clubs seem to have more then two elite players so there must be a way we could target at least one more elite player and financially satisfy a trade.

 

[Phar Ace]

9 voters cast:

 

[Phar Ace]

With targeting a tier one player and re Brennan what she could earn off cap, I don't believe sponsorship or extra's external to the club were capped but maybe they are now? other clubs seem to have more then two elite players so there must be a way we could target at least one more elite player and financially satisfy a trade.

This

 

[toenail63]

9 voters cast:

View attachment 2183811

That's telling isn't it. If the poll was for top 10 it would be interesting where votes land, I would place her top 10 on where her value lies as it's often an asset in having a bigger stronger body around the contest.

Her value drops though in her being able to offer us more in games where it's less of an asset. i.e Value is a 34yo Sheerin >> 24yo Egan, e.g. in meters gained Sheerin this year averaged 403m per game, just ahead of Mon Conti 364m per game while Egan was the 2nd worst in our midfield group with 210m per game, only Dallaway was worse at 79m .

 

[Phar Ace]

That's telling isn't it. If the poll was for top 10 it would be interesting where votes land, I would place her top 10 on where her value lies as it's often an asset in having a bigger stronger body around the contest.

Her value drops though in her being able to offer us more in games where it's less of an asset. i.e Value is a 34yo Sheerin >> 24yo Egan, e.g. in meters gained Sheerin this year averaged 403m per game, just ahead of Mon Conti 364m per game while Egan was the 2nd worst in our midfield group with 210m per game, only Dallaway was worse at 79m .

Egan's ball use is her Achilles heel, we all know it. Her 'value' is low because of it. Her metres gained could be much better than it is if she worked on it more. She needs awareness training too. Dallaway I give the 1st season changeover free kick - next season we will want more from her, and I think it's there.

 

[toenail63]

Egan's ball use is her Achilles heel, we all know it. Her 'value' is low because of it. Her metres gained could be much better than it is if she worked on it more. She needs awareness training too. Dallaway I give the 1st season changeover free kick - next season we will want more from her, and I think it's there.

I think we need to send them both off to Chappies summer camp for some extra schooling.