AFLW North Melbourne Football Club AFLW - Season 2024

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Congrats to Maddie Di Cosmo for winning the VFLW Best & Fairest in a Premiership winning season.

Di Cosmo takes out Kangas' VFLW B&F award

Di Cosmo takes out Kangas' VFLW B&F award​

Maddie Di Cosmo has claimed the North Melbourne VFLW best and fairest award after a superb campaign in midfield
By NMFC Media

Audrey Rhodes (l), Maddie Di Cosmo, Alana Barba (r). Picture: NMFC Media
Maddie Di Cosmo has claimed North Melbourne's VFLW best and fairest award in the club's premiership-winning season.
Playing all 17 games, the tough midfielder who came across from Carlton prior to the season added a new dynamic to the side's onball brigade. She averaged 18.5 disposals and eight tackles per game.
Di Cosmo kicked the Roos' first ever VFLW finals series goal against Essendon in the elimination final, and slotted a long-bomb in the Grand Final against Western Bulldogs.

Her performance in the knockout clash with the Bombers was arguably her best as she notched 29 disposals, 11 clearances and eight tackles.
Di Cosmo topped the best-and-fairest voting with 196 votes, four votes ahead of Alana Barba, who also won the Shinboner of the Year award.
Barba, who proved to be another fruitful off-season recruit for the club, averaged just under 18 touches per outing in her first campaign in royal blue and white.
Particularly dominant in the second half of the year, she was the difference-maker in North Melbourne's 11-point Round 12 win over Port Melbourne, booting three majors from 22 possessions to help get her team over the line. Her four-bounce run and goal against Williamstown in the semi-final was another moment to remember.
Rounding out the top three was 2023 best and fairest winner Audrey Rhodes, who received 182 votes.
Rhodes again starred in midfield, averaging 16.8 touches. She finished top of the League for total tackles with 175, 25 of which came in a single game against Casey in Round 3, and was prolific on Grand Final day, collecting a game-high 27 touches.

The Best Clubwoman award - for the player who epitomises everything about unselfishness, has a team-first attitude and goes beyond the call of duty, not just on the field for the 21 players selected each week, but for the whole playing list and club - was won by Charlotte van der Vlies, while Nyakoat Dojiok claimed the Most Improved award.
Dojiok kicked 32 majors in 2024, doubling her 2023 season tally of 16 for Collingwood, and slotted four goals from 14 touches to take out the Lisa Hardeman Medallist for best on ground in the Grand Final.
As announced in the final stages of the season, co-captain Jess Jones has hung up the boots. She played 42 games as a Kangaroo over three campaigns and bows out as a premiership skipper.

Best and Fairest top 10​

1. Maddie Di Cosmo – 196
2. Alana Barba – 192
3. Audrey Rhodes – 182
4. Renee Tierney – 178
5. Nyakoat Dojiok – 171
6. Mara McSweeney – 137
7. Nicole Hales – 134
=7. Elisabeth Jackson – 134
=7. Tahlia Meier – 134
10. Matilda Zander – 118

Award winners​

Best and Fairest Winner: Maddie Di Cosmo
Best and Fairest Runner-up: Alana Barba
Best and Fairest Third Place: Audrey Rhodes
Most Improved: Nyakoat Dojiok
Shinboner of the Year: Alana Barba
Best Clubwoman: Charlotte van der Vlies

 

[MRoos]

Brynn Teakle’s sister Julia with a bag of 4 goals for port today

I think she is Brynn's cousin, not his sister.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Yeah cousin. Duursma has a sister that played for Port though (now at Carlton).

George Wardlaw probably no relation to Jesse.

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

Yeah cousin. Duursma has a sister that played for Port though (now at Carlton).

George Wardlaw probably no relation to Jesse.

Yeah Jesse being Maori and from New Zealand probably rules out a familial connection to George.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

So we are a 10 goal better team than Melbourne now.

 

[Liam Boy]

So we are a 10 goal better team than Melbourne now.

suddenly...

 

[Nate7]

So we are a 10 goal better team than Melbourne now.

What's the deal with broadcast this year?
Less free to air or am I misremembering?

 

[Tas]

What's the deal with broadcast this year?
Less free to air or am I misremembering?

"Where can you watch the AFLW?
Kayo (Foxtel) and Channel 7

As per usual with the AFL, both the Men’s and Women’s competitions will be shown on both free-to-air TV and paid services for all Australians to enjoy.

Foxtel via Fox Footy will show all games live and ad free from siren to siren, which can then be watched on demand on its streaming service, Kayo.

Free-to-air viewers get a similar luxury, with Channel 7 showing select games in certain regions along with a ‘watch anywhere’ feature through 7Plus."

Being not in shitville in the AFLW, i would assume a lot of our games will be on FTA.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

"Where can you watch the AFLW?
Kayo (Foxtel) and Channel 7

As per usual with the AFL, both the Men’s and Women’s competitions will be shown on both free-to-air TV and paid services for all Australians to enjoy.

Foxtel via Fox Footy will show all games live and ad free from siren to siren, which can then be watched on demand on its streaming service, Kayo.

Free-to-air viewers get a similar luxury, with Channel 7 showing select games in certain regions along with a ‘watch anywhere’ feature through 7Plus."

Being not in shitville in the AFLW, i would assume a lot of our games will be on FTA.

They are. In a weird switch, we had to keep Kayo to be able to watch Collingwood W games, nearly all the the North games are on FTA.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

I went to Vic Park today. Hawthorn - even without Bates - looked good, and Gilly had a very good game in her 50th.

 

[Tas]

I went to Vic Park today. Hawthorn - even without Bates - looked good, and Gilly had a very good game in her 50th.

What has gone wrong with Collingwood, Dogs, etc? They are inception clubs that are now behind recent franchises.

 

[Liam Boy]

What has gone wrong with Collingwood, Dogs, etc? They are inception clubs that are now behind recent franchises.

introducing clubs in waves had the opposite effect to what the AFL hoped - where staggered introduction would result in the earlier clubs growing the talent pool and then shedding top players to the newer clubs that offered them marquee wages - instead some clubs have lost most or all their players while others haven't lost many at all, and not the key ones, so instead there's 3 still really strong foundation clubs, and us, the one expansion club who've broken into their company on the back of the groundwork we did prior to joining the league, and no one else is really any good.

 

[shintemaster]

introducing clubs in waves had the opposite effect to what the AFL hoped - where staggered introduction would result in the earlier clubs growing the talent pool and then shedding top players to the newer clubs that offered them marquee wages - instead some clubs have lost most or all their players while others haven't lost many at all, and not the key ones, so instead there's 3 still really strong foundation clubs, and us, the one expansion club who've broken into their company on the back of the groundwork we did prior to joining the league, and no one else is really any good.

Not like the AFL to have no ****ing idea.

 

[Teen Wolf]

All of that is just stuff the crap teams tell themselves. Truth is Carlton, Collingwood, GWS and the Bulldogs were the ones who started the poachening immediately after season 1, but couldn't hack it when the tables were turned on them.

If you consider the All-Australians at inaugural clubs who have left via expansion FA, you'll see there's no pattern re good and bad teams.
Adelaide: 2
Brisbane: 3
Carlton: 1
Collingwood: 2
Fremantle: 3
GWS Giants: 1
Melbourne: 1
W. Bulldogs: 2

It's not the AFL's fault that the Bulldogs didn't bother to have a head of women's football for the last few years. Or that they stopped recruiting Irish players just because one walked out...

Remember when NM sooked about Gilroy leaving, rather than just getting on with the job and finding the best possible replacement? Me neither!

 

[Hearts to hearts]

All of that is just stuff the crap teams tell themselves. Truth is Carlton, Collingwood, GWS and the Bulldogs were the ones who started the poachening immediately after season 1, but couldn't hack it when the tables were turned on them.

If you consider the All-Australians at inaugural clubs who have left via expansion FA, you'll see there's no pattern re good and bad teams.
Adelaide: 2
Brisbane: 3
Carlton: 1
Collingwood: 2
Fremantle: 3
GWS Giants: 1
Melbourne: 1
W. Bulldogs: 2

It's not the AFL's fault that the Bulldogs didn't bother to have a head of women's football for the last few years. Or that they stopped recruiting Irish players just because one walked out...

Remember when NM sooked about Gilroy leaving, rather than just getting on with the job and finding the best possible replacement? Me neither!

I was going to say that Collingwood has lost some good players and not got good quality back but then remembered Bri Davey. She’s the exception, though - the best women aren’t attracted by what the club has to offer. Feels like they got shoehorned in at the start but didn’t have the foundations to maximise their assets or keep them when they had choices. My partner’s main frustration is that they’ve never prioritised the capacity to kick goals.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Feels like they got shoehorned in at the start

Oh yeah, that was the other thing I meant to say.

It's no coincidence the clubs that had to put in extra effort just to get an AFLW licence are the ones who have run the best women's footy programs:

• Adelaide - SA wasn't even going to get a team until the Crows teamed up with the NT govt
• Brisbane - years of groundwork by Breeanna Brock (via AFLQ then the Lions)
• Fremantle - submission blew WC out of the water
• Melbourne - employees Debbie Lee and Jen Watt got the exhibition games off the ground
• North - too much to mention

Meanwhile the clubs who were giftwrapped a licence clearly take the whole thing for granted, hence their women's footy programs going nowhere:

• Carlton - did nothing aside from having a big bandwagon
• Collingwood - did nothing aside from having a big bandwagon
• GWS - got it because Sydney didn't have facilities at the time
• Gold Coast - didn't even apply, then jumped the queue
• Bulldogs - handpicked by Melbourne to play exhibition games, fleeced VWFL to play grand finals there... what pioneers

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

We have also heard stories out of Collingwood and Western Bulldogs from their first couple of years when football departments and board members had denied the women's program bare basic resources and access to training and gym facilities even when the men's team was on hiatus. They were treated poorly and so many of their best players found respect at expansion clubs. For Collingwood and the Bulldogs, it's a screw up entirely of their own making.

 

[sutcliffe's hotel]

Looking forward to a great game today.

We were everything we needed to be last Sunday, so keen to see us bring the same relentless pressure today.

 

[datakid]

Looking forward to a great game today.

We were everything we needed to be last Sunday, so keen to see us bring the same relentless pressure today.

Who is going to the game? I'll be there with nmfc picnic blanket. Am preparing to see a crushing win.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

Who is going to the game? I'll be there with nmfc picnic blanket. Am preparing to see a crushing win.

I am and thanks for the reminder about the rug!

 

[Nate7]

Who is going to the game? I'll be there with nmfc picnic blanket. Am preparing to see a crushing win.

Luke72 Reece, Joe, H2H (above), KK and Mrs KK usually go and a few other regulars on here.

 

[giantroo]

 

[The Nostradamus]

Aflw site reporting Molloy with just knee soreness

Vs Kate McCarthy saying acl

 

[datakid]

Crowd is quite big, pumping pumping house music is too loud for this old man, as always.

 

[Only Forwards]

What did the other side say?