The 2026 AFLW season is almost here, which means it's time to rank the competition's 10 best players heading into Season 11.
Never has the league been deeper. Every club boasts genuine stars, young talent continues to emerge at a rapid rate, and the standard of football continues to rise. That made narrowing the field to just 10 players one of the toughest exercises yet.
This isn't simply a ranking of who filled the stat sheet last season. Every player was assessed on their influence, consistency, ability to deliver in the biggest moments, and overall importance to their team. Statistics helped shape the rankings, but so too did the qualities that don't always show up in the numbers.
There are 540 AFLW-listed players across the competition, and plenty of household names were unlucky to miss out. But if my life depended on winning one game tomorrow, these are the 10 players I'd want in my team.
10. Harriet Cordner
Key defenders rarely receive the recognition they deserve. Harriet Cordner has spent years taking the AFLW's biggest assignments and doing them exceptionally well. She averaged almost 10 intercept possessions and more than four rebound 50s a game last season while consistently blanketing the opposition's best tall forward. Her reading of the play is outstanding, and she remains one of the safest intercept markers in the competition. Midfielders might win the headlines, but every premiership side is built on defenders like Cordner.
9. Courtney Hodder
Courtney Hodder might be the most annoying player in the AFLW to play against. Every time the ball hits the ground inside Brisbane's forward 50, she's there. Chasing, tackling, harassing, and forcing mistakes. She averaged more than 15 pressure acts a game last season while also kicking 14 goals, showing her influence goes well beyond simply locking the ball inside the Lions' attacking half. Not every star needs 30 disposals. Hodder changes games through effort, and that's exactly why she belongs in this top 10.
8. Aishling Moloney
Geelong's attack looks completely different when Aishling Moloney is up and running. The Irish key forward kicked 17 goals in just 12 games and continues to develop into one of the competition's premier targets inside 50. She also averaged almost six marks a game, underlining her ability to present as a reliable aerial target and give Geelong a genuine focal point in attack. Strong overhead and composed in front of goal, Moloney doesn't need a mountain of opportunities to hurt opposition defences. Key forwards capable of consistently hitting the scoreboard remain one of the AFLW's rarest assets. Moloney has quickly become one of the best.
7. Matilda Scholz
The AFLW has no shortage of quality midfielders. Dominant young rucks are much harder to find. That's why Matilda Scholz makes this list. Still only 21, Scholz averaged 22.8 hitouts while winning almost 56 percent of her ruck contests. More importantly, she doesn't disappear once the ball hits the deck. Four clearances, 17 disposals and strong defensive pressure have turned her into another midfielder around stoppages. Champion Data rated her among the league's top 10 players and it's easy to see why. In a competition where dominant rucks are hard to find, Scholz has quickly become one of Port Adelaide's biggest weapons.
6. Georgie Prespakis
Georgie Prespakis probably has the strongest statistical case of anyone outside the top five. Champion Data ranked her fourth overall after another outstanding season in Geelong's midfield last year. She averaged almost 26 disposals, 14.6 contested possessions, and close to seven clearances a game, while also ranking among the competition's best for metres gained. Prespakis has developed into the complete midfielder. She wins her own ball, uses it well and consistently gets Geelong moving forward. There aren't many weaknesses in her game anymore, which is why she continues to climb the AFLW's midfield rankings. At 23, it's easy to forget she's still years away from what should be the peak of her career. If she continues producing seasons like 2025, she'll be right in the conversation for the No. 1 spot very soon.
5. Monique Conti
There aren't many players who can change a game in the space of a minute. Monique Conti can. Her speed through traffic remains unmatched and she consistently turns defensive situations into attacking opportunities. Conti averaged almost 14 contested possessions, five clearances, and more than 370 metres gained last season, but perhaps most impressively, she also recorded over 23 pressure acts a game. Every opposition coach knows stopping Conti is the key to slowing Richmond. Very few have managed it. Some may argue she belongs higher. You certainly wouldn't get much argument from me.
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4. Ella Roberts
The scary part about Ella Roberts is that she's probably still scratching the surface. Already one of the AFLW's most versatile players, Roberts can play through the midfield, drift forward or impact aerial contests around the ground. She led this top 10 for contested possessions, averaged almost 24 disposals and applied enormous defensive pressure, highlighting just how complete her game has become. West Coast has built its future around Roberts, and for good reason. She's already among the competition's elite and still improving every season. She's another player who wouldn't surprise anyone if she's sitting at No. 1 on this list in a few years' time.
3. Ash Riddell
North Melbourne has plenty of stars, but few are more important than Ash Riddell. The reigning AFLW best and fairest winner is the engine of the Kangaroos' midfield, consistently giving her side first use at stoppages and setting the tone around the contest. Riddell averaged a competition-high 35.5 disposals a game in 2025, while also ranking among the league leaders for contested possessions and clearances. Champion Data rated her the second-best player in the AFLW, reflecting a season where her influence was as consistent as it was damaging. She isn't the type of player who relies on moments of brilliance. Instead, she wears opponents down over four quarters, repeatedly winning the hard ball and driving North Melbourne forward. It isn't always flashy, but it's incredibly effective, and it's a major reason the Kangaroos enter Season 11 chasing a third straight premiership.
2. Kate Hore
Kate Hore is proof that you don't need to be a full-time midfielder to dominate the AFLW. The Melbourne captain was the competition's most dangerous forward in 2025, leading the league with 24 goals while also ranking among the best for goal assists. She's equally capable of taking a contested mark, leading into space or creating opportunities for teammates, making her one of the hardest match-ups in the game. Despite spending most of her time inside 50, Hore still averaged more than 21 disposals and 10 contested possessions a game. That's an extraordinary return for a genuine forward. As I've said throughout this piece, there are plenty of elite midfielders in the AFLW. There's only one Kate Hore.
1. Jas Garner
No one in the AFLW impacts more areas of the game than Jas Garner. She wins clearances like an elite inside midfielder should, takes contested marks like a key forward and hits the scoreboard better than almost anyone. Champion Data's No. 1 player in 2025, Garner averaged 27.3 disposals, 13.2 contested possessions, and more than five clearances, but it's what she does after winning the ball that sets her apart. She finished the season with 21 goals and 11 goal assists, making her just as dangerous inside 50 as she is around the contest. North Melbourne is chasing a third straight premiership and, unsurprisingly, Garner is the player who makes everything tick.