Hawthorn forward Áine McDonagh has claimed her maiden Club best and fairest following a stellar 2025 season.
McDonagh polled 63 votes across the season, ahead of 2024 winner and vice-captain Eliza West, who finished in a close second on 62 votes, while young gun Lucy Wales finished on the podium for the first time in her career with 57 votes.
Elevated to the leadership group during preseason, McDonagh took her game to the next level in a career-best year in 2025, spearheading the forward line as the Hawks’ leading goalkicker with a career-high 22 goals.
McDonagh’s best and fairest win caps off an impressive season for the 27-year-old, having also earned a maiden All-Australian nod, named at half forward in the 2025 side.
The Irish product played every game in 2025, averaging 1.6 goals, 12.1 disposals, 5.4 score involvements, 2.4 tackles and 2.2 marks per game. She was held goalless on just two occasions and slotted multiple majors in seven games.
The maximum votes a player can poll each round is eight, which McDonagh secured in Round 11 against Essendon, for her performance of three goals, 16 disposals, 11 score involvements and five marks. She also polled a near-perfect seven votes on four other occasions.
West came in as runner-up after another strong season in the brown and gold. Following her best and fairest win in 2024, the 28-year-old produced another impressive season out of the Hawks midfield.
Averaging 22.6 disposals, 15.1 handballs, 13.9 contested possessions, 5.6 tackles and 3.8 clearances, West was an important cog in Hawthorn’s engine room.
Shouldering the role of stand-in skipper across the back half of the season, West also managed a career-high 31 disposals against North Melbourne in Round 12, in what was a seven-vote game.
In third place was Wales, who established herself one the league’s best rucks in a career-best year, before appendicitis brought her season to an end after Round 9.
The 22-year-old averaged 20 hitouts, 18.3 disposals, 11.8 contested possessions, 6.3 intercept possessions, 5.9 tackles and four clearances per game throughout 2025.
Wales managed two consecutive perfect eight-vote games for her Round 6 (23 disposals, 29 hitouts, seven tackles) and Round 7 (27 disposals, 16 hitouts, seven tackles) performances.
Wales also took out the World Class and Players Player Awards, West took home the Competitor Award and was named Best Player in Finals, with skipper Emily Bates claiming the Unbreakable Award.
2025 AFLW Best and Fairest Top 10
1 – Áine McDonagh (63)
2 – Eliza West (62)
3 – Lucy Wales (57)
4 – Tilly Lucas-Rodd (53)
5 – Emily Everist (41)
6 – Jenna Richardson (29)
7 – Jasmine Fleming (27)
8 – Emily Bates (25)
=9 – Laura Elliott (24)
=9 – Laura Stone (24)
2025 AFLW Club Award Winners
World Class Award – Lucy Wales
Competitor Award – Eliza West
Unbreakable Award – Emily Bates
Best Player in Finals – Eliza West
Players Player – Lucy Wales
Votes for the 2025 Hawthorn AFLW Best and Fairest were awarded by two groups after each home-and-away match; Senior Coach Daniel Webster and one card between line coaches Steph Binder, Keegan Brooksby & Cam Howat.
A maximum of 8 votes can be accumulated by a player after the voting cards are submitted using the following grading system: One vote to players who played their role or beat their opponent, two votes for a significant influence on the game, three votes to the best player or players on the ground. A player or players may receive four votes for an exceptional game.
There is no restriction on the number of players who receive votes in a match. Votes are recorded across the home and away season and Finals.
