Star midfielder Kiara Bowers has returned to the top at Fremantle, winning her fourth AFLW Fairest and Best.
Announced as a presentation dinner at Optus Stadium on Friday night, Bowers adds her Season 7 win to her honours in 2019, 2020 and 2021, with Hayley Miller winning the award for Season 6 earlier this year.
Players are allocated 0 to five votes based on their performances from five of Fremantle’s coaches, meaning a player can earn a maximum of 25 votes in one game for a dominant performance.
Bowers stormed home with five best on ground performances to finish the season with 169 votes, ahead of Miller in second place on 114 votes and Aine Tighe in third on 110 votes.
Emma O’Driscoll (103 votes) and Ange Stannett (98 votes) rounded out the top five.
Incredibly, Bowers achieved the rare feat of 25 votes in a game twice in Season 7, against Adelaide in round seven and Hawthorn in round 10. She also had 23 votes against Melbourne and 21 votes against Collingwood.
For context, the last time any Fremantle Docker received 25 votes in a game was in 2019, when Michael Walters kicked six goals, had 25 disposals and 14 contested possessions against Port Adelaide.
Bowers had 29 disposals and 19 tackles against the Crows and 34 disposals and 22 tackles against Hawthorn, setting an AFLW record for tackles.
She also set an AFLW record for AFL Fantasy Points against Hawthorn with 184, and recorded more than 100 points in the final six rounds of the season with 116 against West Coast, 128 against Melbourne, 164 against Adelaide, 141 against Collingwood and 129 against Sydney.
Bowers won the Players’ Award, also for the fourth time, while Ange Stannett was Best Clubwoman and Irish recruit Orlagh Lally won the Best First Year Player.
Mature-age draftee Megan Kauffman finished higher than Lally in the Fairest and Best count but was ineligible for the award due to her age, with eligible players needing to be under 25 years of age at the start of the season.
Fremantle’s Head of Leadership, Development and AFLW Bob Murphy said Bowers’ season was even more remarkable considering her off-field challenges.
“It’s no surprise seeing Kiara once again win the Club’s Fairest and Best, and for good reason. Her finish to the season was arguably the most dominant football we’ve seen in her celebrated career,” Murphy said.
“Kiara already juggles her football career with a very physically demanding job as a carpenter, as well as being a mother to her young son, who underwent some minor medical procedures throughout the season to further add to her demands outside of the game.
“Yet on the field we saw her take her game to yet another impossibly high level. It was inspiring to watch, and no doubt the Fremantle supporters felt the same from the sidelines.
“She continues to set the standards both on and off the field, as evidenced by her also winning the Players’ Award for a fourth time.
“Hayley Miller rounded out an impressive 2022 as she battled through an interrupted pre-season. Since she’s taken on the captaincy she’s finished first and second in the Fairest and Best, which illustrates her hunger to lead by example.
“Aine Tighe’s third-placed finish is incredibly exciting for the Club. This year she put her tough run with injury behind her to become a dominant marking target up forward. We can’t wait to see where she can take her game in 2023.”
TOP 10
Kiara Bowers – 169
Hayley Miller – 114
Aine Tighe – 110
Emma O’Driscoll – 103
Ange Stannett – 98
Laura Pugh – 96
Mim Strom – 93
Sarah Verrier – 91
Megan Kauffman - 88
Jess Low - 83
