2025 William Buck Premier Women’s Team of the Year

Our final VAFA Women’s Team of the Year for 2025 is William Buck Premier Women’s, as compiled by our reporter, Cooper Watkins, based on feedback and analysis from coaches, umpires and VAFA Media across the home & away season.

The Premier Women’s comp continued to evolve in 2025, with Caulfield Grammarians leapfrogging perennial contenders Old Scotch & St Kevin’s to claim the minor premiership with an impressive 15-2 record.

Old Scotch finished second at 14-2, with St Kevin’s third at 13-3. Kew and West Brunswick battled for fourth spot all the way to the final round, with the Bears ultimately sneaking into the finals by 12%.

The finals series reflected the incredible evenness of the competition, with the four finals decided by 8 points, 6 points, 6 points & 5 points. Four games with a total combined margin of just 25 points!

The Saints came from behind to eliminate the Bears in a nail-biting First Semi, while the Stars hung on to progress straight through to Grand Final Day after a late scare from the Fields in the Second Semi.

The minor premiers then franked their rise to genuine contention by storming home to snatch the Preliminary Final away from St Kevin’s and earn another shot at Old Scotch.

Sure enough, the Grand Final was every bit as tight as the Second Semi, with Caulfield Grammarians finishing all over Old Scotch once again, but narrowly falling short for the second time in three weeks – Dean Anderson’s Stars claiming back-to-back premierships after our tightest season of competition yet.

Needless to say, there were so many deserving Team of the Year nominees across the league, making this a challenging job for selectors.

Here is the VAFA’s William Buck Premier Women’s Team of the Year for 2025:

Minor premiers Caulfield were rewarded for their outstanding home & away campaign with six reps in this line-up, including Coach of the Year Danielle Di Stefano. The Fields provide half of this strong defence, with trio Milly Hines, Alicia Myers and Chloe O’Malley delivering plenty of defensive steel behind the ball.

Sarah Kenny will line up in attack, while the VAFA’s 2025 Anytime Fitness Rising Star (and Fields’ Best & Fairest winner) Jacinta Baxter will start in the middle.

She will be joined there by League Best & Fairest Mia Cowan, who is one of five Old Scotch players in this team. Emily Tassiopoulos starts on a wing, while the dynamic duo of Eloise Defina and Jordan Mifsud will start up forward, with premiership skipper (and club B&F) Katie Hunter-Scott a genuine luxury, providing depth, class and leadership off the bench.

St Kevin’s have two members in this line-up, and both will provide major headaches for opposition coaches – the League’s leading goalkicker, Hannah Smith (46 goals) and the brilliant Kate Stanton – two players more than capable of delivering in the big moments.

If they get quality supply (and they certainly will from this midfield & defence), look out!

Big V skipper (and Captain of this team) Taylah Watson is one of two West Brunswick players in this outfit, and she will line up alongside Mia Cowan and Jacinta Baxter in the middle – what a formidable centre square combination! Victoria Holt is West Brunswick’s other representative, lining up down back.

Kew also have two reps, with ruck Lauralee Rinaldi (the Bears’ B&F and second in League B&F) along with Lily Barr, who finished second in the club championship.

Two also for Beaumaris, with young guns Sunday Hollingsworth (who collected the Sharks’ B&F this season) and Piper Phelan, both of whom have received Rising Star nominations over the past two seasons.

Williamstown CYMS deliver a duo as well, with CY Best & Fairest winner Jess Court and Jacinta Eteuati both starting in defence.

Old Geelong and Fitzroy have one representative apiece – the brilliant Brooke McKay adds yet another honour to her glittering career with the OGs, while Jaime Nelson adds a Team of the Year guernsey to her Best & Fairest for the Roys.

It’s a fantastic combination of youth and experience, reflecting the health of the Premier Women’s competition.

Congratulations to everyone who made such a powerful and talented line-up!