Macqueen, Green, Fisher, Brown named inaugural women’s fairest & best

Four VAFA Wilson Women’s players were named the Fairest & Best for their respective sections overnight, with Kate Macqueen (Ormond), Rhiannon Green (Old Camberwell), Chelsea Fisher (Ajax) and Penny Brown (Hawthorn AFC) announced as inaugural winners on 96.5 Inner FM.

Macqueen, who is a key position player and Big V representative, polled six votes in Rounds 12 and 13 to take her tally to 15 and edge past Old Haileybury star, Sarah Casey, by just one vote. Casey led for most of the count and polled her 14^th vote in Week 8 before injury derailed her season. Old Brighton pair, Morgon McGregor and India Tait, polled 11 votes each alongside St Mary’s Salesian defender, Tash Rappos, while Janna Lawson (MB), Mietta McDonald (OH), Lisa Davie (SMS) and Anne Forbes (WB) polled 10 each.

Much like Macqueen, Green only took the lead of Development Division 2 in Round 13 after an outstanding second half of the season whereby she polled 19 of her 25 votes in the last eight games. She narrowly defeated UHS-VU midfielder, Mara McSweeney, on 21 votes, while Ivanhoe’s Sarah Kerr polled 18; including, five three-vote BOG performances with four of them in succession between Weeks 7 and 10.

In Development Division 3, Ajax’s Chelsea Fisher went vote-for-vote with Mazenod’s Bek Watson but trumped her Nodders counterpart by four votes, 23-19. Fisher polled in nine of her 14 games and eight of those were either 2’s or 3’s. Watson also polled in nine games but had two less three-vote outings than Fisher, and shared votes with her sister, Kimberley, who finished fifth with 11. Old Mentonians’ Monique Maitland stormed home with three BOG performances in the last four rounds to finish third on 16 votes, while Therry Penola’s Eliza German ended up fourth on 12.

Kicking off the count was Development Division 4 and it was Hawthorn AFC’s Penny Brown who took the crown with 20 votes. Despite being unable to play the last three rounds of the home and away season due to a fractured arm, Brown polled three votes on six occasions; including, four within a five-game span between Weeks 5 and 9. Bulleen Templestowe’s Charlotte MacKinnon placed second on 15 votes, one ahead of Sally Fyfield from De La Salle in third.

The VAFA congratulates all winners on their outstanding feats and now looks forward to Monday night and the announcement of the William Buck Premier Women’s Fairest & Best Award at the Women’s Presentation Night.