Ash Riddell wins the AFLW’s Best and Fairest award for 2025
Ash Riddell poses for a photo after winning the AFLW Best and Fairest on November 24, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
NORTH Melbourne midfield machine Ash Riddell has underlined her status as one of AFLW’s brightest stars in securing the League’s best-and-fairest award for the first time.
The runner-up to Adelaide’s Ebony Marinoff last year, Riddell polled 23 votes to add the League’s highest individual honour to her fifth All-Australian selection.
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Geelong’s Georgie Prespakis (20 votes) was second and Melbourne’s Tyla Hanks (18) third in best-and-fairest polling, with West Coast’s Ella Roberts (17) fourth.
North Melbourne star Jasmine Garner and Sydney’s Laura Gardiner (15) were tied for fifth.
Sydney’s explosive young gun Zippy Fish won the Telstra AFLW Rising Star Award with a maximum 50 votes, ahead of Carlton’s Poppy Scholz (23) and West Coast’s Lucia Painter (23).
Riddell is the first North Melbourne player to win the best-and-fairest award in the League’s 10 seasons and will lead the Kangaroos in Saturday’s Grand Final against Brisbane.
The 29-year-old ball-magnet has enjoyed an outstanding 2025 season, in which she was also named the Sharp EIT Solutions AFLCA AFLW Champion Player of the Year.
Riddell has broken her own AFLW record for most disposals in a game three times this season and amassed 40 or more possessions on five occasions, averaging a League-best 35.3 disposals per match.
“I’m very lucky and a little bit anxious to be up here,” Riddell said as she accepted her prize at the awards ceremony on Monday night.
“I’m surrounded by so many good players. I’m really humbled to be up here.”
Ash Riddell looks on after winning the AFLW Best and Fairest on November 24, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
Remarkably, Riddell was overlooked in two drafts before being picked up by North Melbourne for its first season as an AFLW expansion club in 2019.
She has since gone on to become a club champion, premiership player and now a League best-and-fairest winner.
FULL TRACKER AFLW best and fairest, every vote
Riddell’s winning tally included votes in nine games, and she was named best afield six times in a dozen appearances.
However, she didn’t poll a vote in rounds six or eight, when she set new disposal records with 44 and 45 touches respectively.
Riddell, who has featured in every game of North Melbourne’s record 26-match winning streak, paid tribute to her teammates and coach Darren Crocker in her acceptance speech.
“‘Crock’ does such an amazing job with the group and he’s really big on just enjoying the journey,” Riddell said.
Ash Riddell poses for a photo after winning the AFLW Best and Fairest on November 24, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
“I think we do that each week. We don’t look too far ahead and we’re just so connected as a group.
“We love hanging out off-field as well and it just brings us so much closer together on-field.
“We have a strong system that we trust as a group and we don’t try to be remarkable, we just try to be reliable in games, and trust each other along the way.”
Minor premier North was the best-represented club in the All-Australian team, with Riddell selected alongside teammates Garner, Tahlia Randall and Blaithin Bogue.
Mim Strom, Jasmine Garner and Ash Riddell after being named in the All-Australian team on November 24, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
Garner was named All-Australian captain for the third time in the last four seasons and equalled teammate Emma Kearney’s record with her eighth blazer.
“I’m absolutely honoured,” Garner said. “It’s pretty special.
“I love what I do. I’m so lucky and I’m just trying to enjoy the ride.”
Bogue was one of a record five Irish players named in the All-Australian team along with Dayna Finn (Carlton), Jennifer Dunne (Brisbane), Niamh McLaughlin (Gold Coast) and Aine McDonagh (Hawthorn).
Dunne and pocket rocket Courtney Hodder were the only two All-Australian representatives for the Lions, who will attempt to end North Melbourne’s 26-game winning streak in the Grand Final.
W Best and Fairest leaderboard
23 votes: Ash Riddell (North Melbourne)
20 votes: Georgie Prespakis (Geelong)
18 votes: Tyla Hanks (Melbourne)
17 votes: Ella Roberts (West Coast)
15 votes: Laura Gardiner (Sydney)
15 votes: Jasmine Garner (North Melbourne)
13 votes: Kiara Bowers (Fremantle)
13 votes: Georgia Nanscawen (Essendon)
12 votes: Matilda Scholz (Port Adelaide)
