AFLW midfielder Kiara Bowers feels her two-week-old son has become her new source of motivation after her triumphant win at Fremantle’s 2020 Fairest and Best awards on Friday night. 

Bowers polled 129 votes to win her second club champion award in as many years, with teammates Ebony Antonio and Hayley Miller rounding out the top three. 

The 28-year-old credits her baby son Nate and her partner Adele for her drive, as she already turns her attention to the 2021 season.

"I can’t wait to hold him after a win next year and get a photo,” Bowers said.

“I want him to look up to me and know that women are strong and good role models.

“Hopefully I can do that for him.”

Humble by nature, Bowers thanked her teammates for their efforts this year, and believes the individual feat would be near on impossible without her ‘mates’ by her side.

“I feel incredibly privileged and honoured to wear this around my neck again,” Bowers said.

“I feel very lucky and I thanked the girls a lot because they are the ones that got me here.

“They are a good bunch of girls…and I feel thankful to them to have them as good mates. 

“The reason we had such a good season is because we just have fun… and we enjoy playing for each other.” 

The awards were held at a private function at the home of club president Dale Alcock, who passionately defended the women’s competition earlier this year as financial pressures from the COVID-19 pandemic placed doubt on the future of the competition.

Alcock said he was ‘absolutely committed to it’ and would ‘die in a ditch’ to help keep the competition alive. 

Bowers personally addressed Alcock in her winner’s speech. 

“I did see the stuff you said in the media and it got passed around in our (players) WhatsApp group,” Bowers said.

“It really does mean a lot to us…people would come up to me and say ‘Turbo do you reckon you’ll have a team next year?’ 

“I say to them ‘if Dale is saying that about us, then we might even have two women’s teams next year!”

Bowers struggled to hide the excitement of being together as a group on Friday night for the first time since their season abruptly ended, leaving Freo’s undefeated side feeling unfulfilled.

“The club feels like a second home and I truly believe that,” Bowers said.

“I think we will never forget the year that was, but we’ll take it with us into next year.”