THE final round of the AFL Women’s home and away season for 2019 saw the end of the road for six teams as finals loom next week. A number of young players stood out in Round 7, with a few familiar faces gracing the Draft Central Draftee Watch list once again.

Adelaide: Jess Foley
Foley has been undoubtedly one of the biggest pick-ups of 2018 as she bullied her way to another top performance for Adelaide. Foley led the game in AFL Fantasy Points with 98, led in hitouts (16), kicked two goals and finished with 15 disposals, two marks and six tackles. Of all the rucks in the league, Foley has been the most successful when combining her impact in and out of the ruck contest. This weekend she comes up against Geelong in her first AFLW Preliminary Final and is likely to have another huge impact for the Crows.

Brisbane: Jacqui Yorston
Yorston reached a new level in her final game this season as she finished among Brisbane’s best against a tough Collingwood outfit. She notched up 21 disposals, two marks and nine tackles with 90 AFL Fantasy Points. Despite the loss, Brisbane fans should be happy to see the talent emerging in one of their newest recruits.

Carlton: Madison Prespakis
With the most appearances on Draftee Watch< this year, Prespakis is a definite frontrunner for the NAB AFLW Rising Star Award and will one day contend for the Best & Fairest Trophy if she continues her impressive form. In a must-win game she remained prolific, notching up 19 disposals and four tackles with 66 AFL Fantasy Points. Carlton face Fremantle at Ikon Park this Saturday for the first Preliminary Final where we hope to see Prespakis reach another level and assist her team to a Premiership. Collingwood: Sarah Rowe
After coming up short in all the rounds prior, Rowe finally saw a win in a Collingwood jumper. The 23-year-old continued her strong form from last week, notching up 16 disposals, 13 kicks, four marks and one tackle with 61 AFL Fantasy Points. She has shown some good signs in the last fortnight so it will be exciting to see her progress in 2020.

Fremantle: Matilda Sergeant
Sergeant chose the right game to step it up, with Fremantle contesting for a Preliminary Finals spot against one of the league’s best. Previously only playing two games where she tallied 30 and 35 AFL Fantasy Points respectively, Sergeant emerged set to have impact. For the game, she earned 12 disposals, three marks and four tackles on her way to 58 AFL Fantasy Points. Rookie teammates, Parris Laurie (12 disposals, three marks and three tackles) and Sabreena Duffy (two goals, seven disposals and five tackles), were also pivotal in Fremantle’s win.

Geelong: Renee Garing
The former St. Mary’s netball star showed no problem transitioning into a contact sport, finishing as one of the league’s top tacklers this season. Against GWS she reached a new personal best, landing 14 tackles in a team-best performance, along with 15 disposals, two marks and 96 AFL Fantasy Points. Rookie teammates, Madaleine McMahon (14 disposals, five marks and six tackles) and Olivia Purcell (19 disposals and four tackles), accompanied Garing, rounding out Geelong’s three best performers. This Sunday Geelong face Adelaide for the second Preliminary Final and a chance at a Grand Final appearance.

GWS GIANTS: Alyce Parker
Parker gave it her all in her final hit-out for the season, finishing among the GIANTS’ best in their win over Geelong. She finished with 19 disposals, one mark and five tackles on her way to 73 AFL Fantasy Points. Parker has consistently been a great contributor for her side and continued to show it until the very end. With a season under her belt, the Thurgoona product should step it up another level in the 2020 season.

Melbourne: Chantel Emonson
The former cricketer gave it a decent crack this year, finishing among Melbourne’s best last Saturday against a dominant Adelaide outfit. Emonson put out a career-best performance with 14 disposals, 13 kicks and five tackles earning herself 71 AFL Fantasy Points. She also kicked her first career goal in the final quarter, and Melbourne’s only goal for the game. She has showed good signs for next season, and with her final game in the red and blue for the year, she should be itching to play come 2020.

North Melbourne: Alison Drennan
While not her greatest performance, Drennan stood up well in the loss against Fremantle. She was not afraid to contest the ball and go in hard. The first-year player finished her game with nine disposals and three tackles with 33 AFL Fantasy Points.

Western Bulldogs: Aisling McCarthy
Among many others, McCarthy had a career best performance in her final game. The Irish native notched up 16 disposals, three marks and five tackles with 77 AFL Fantasy Points. She also kicked a goal in the final quarter, assisting in her team’s resurgence, but the game was done and won for Carlton. McCarthy has kicked five goals in her first season across six games, and is a player to watch in 2020.