AFLW Team of the Week, week nine

It’s no surprise that Ireland’s Aishling Moloney headlines our Team of the Week for week nine following her dominant six-goal performance in Geelong’s win over West Coast.

The 26-year-old star’s six straight career goals are the biggest ever by a Geelong player in AFLW history. He took over the record from teammate Chloe Scheer, who scored five goals against Sydney last season.

As she has done so often this year, Moloney also collected possession in the front half and finished the match with 18 disposals, seven points and six goals.

Joining Moloney in the forward line is compatriot Aisling McCarthy, who continued her excellent form for the Dockers, scoring three goals in Walyalup’s 30-point win over the Giants.

The 28-year-old is having her best season yet, averaging a career-high 21 disposals, eight tackles and five inside 50s. The center forward was also on the scoreboard in 2024 with eight goals – more than in any other season.

McCarthy’s Dockers teammate Mim Strom makes her fourth appearance in the Team of the Week, with 33 hitouts, 15 disposals and a whopping 10 tackles against GWS.

In the back line we have a newcomer in Gold Coast’s Niamh McLaughlin who was a brick wall in the Suns defense against Yartapuulti. McLaughlin had 15 contested possessions, 13 intercepted possessions and four inside the 50s.

Finally, we can’t go past North Melbourne’s Jasmine Garner, who was outstanding in her team’s eight-point win over Kuwarna. The star had a game-high 27 disposals, 529 meters gains and eight tackles. Most importantly, she scored a third of the Kangaroos goals on the night, giving her two majors to help her team to their eighth straight win.

Unlucky to miss the game in week nine was Jess Fitzgerald (26 disposals, six clearances) who dominated her 50th game in the Dogs’ one-point win against St Kilda. Giant Bec Beeson (19 disposals, nine tackles and five clearances) narrowly missed, as did Kangaroos center Ash Riddell (25 disposals, seven tackles) and Brisbane’s Sophie Conway (25 disposals, six interceptions).