IN a new exciting collaborative countdown, Rookie Me Central has teamed up with other independent media organisations to bring a 2022 AFL Women’s Top 50 Countdown. Every weekday from now until December 17, a new player will be named starting from 50th down to 1st, stemming from a combined eight Top 50 submissions. Among those who submitted Top 50s include Siren Sport‘s Gemma Bastiani, Women’s Australian Rules Football (WARF) Radio‘s Peter Holden, and a combined Outer Sanctum team’s Top 50.

Today we continue our countdown with number 30, Brisbane Women’s Emily Bates.

Emily Bates

Box Hill VFLW, Hawthorn

League/s: AFLW, Vflw

Season/s: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, S7, 2023, 2024

• Games [tot]: 77

• Goals [tot]: 11

• Disposals [avg]: 18.6

• Marks [avg]: 2.3

• Tackles [avg]: 4.8

• Cont. Poss: 9.2

• Uncont. Poss: 8.7

• Clearances: 4.1

• Inside 50s: 2.6

• Rebound 50s: 1.2

Brisbane’s first selection in the 2016 AFL Women’s Draft was Bates, and the foundation Lion has put together a terrific first five seasons. She has hardly missed a beat, and built up one of the better CV’s competition-wide. In 2017, Bates represented The Allies in the first season, and was named All-Australian and Brisbane’s best and fairest in a season where the Lions went all the way to the grand final. Whilst ultimately unsuccessful on the big day, Bates was a standout performer throughout the season and one of the best players in the competition that year.

Twelve months later, the Lions midfielder earned a second All-Australian honour, and whilst she has not in the previous three seasons, it was more about the increased quality of the competition rather than her own output. In fact, Bates has been remarkably consistent throughout all five seasons, averaging double-figure disposals in every one, and at least two marks and three tackles per game. In her career, Bates’ total averages are 16.9 disposals, 2.5 marks, 4.2 tackles and 2.7 clearances, the latter being an area she has built up the last two seasons. After averaging around two clearances per game in her first three seasons, Bates has averaged 3.1 in her last two, indicating the 26-year-old’s importance to the Brisbane midfield.

Bates is the first player to come into this Top 50 Countdown having earned a spot on seven of the eight lists. With a couple of placings in the 20s and the majority in the 30s or early 40s, Bates is someone who nearly everyone could agree has the potential to be one of the best going around. Whilst underrated, she is a quality midfielder and earns her place in the Top 30.

ROOKIE ME CENTRAL’S 2022 AFL WOMEN’S TOP 50

#50 Ash Brazill (Collingwood) | ARTICLE
#49 Tayla Harris (Melbourne) | ARTICLE
#48 Courtney Hodder (Brisbane) | ARTICLE
#47 Eden Zanker (Melbourne) | ARTICLE
#46 Kirsty Lamb (Western Bulldogs) | ARTICLE
#45 Tyanna Smith (St Kilda) | ARTICLE
#44 Breanna Koenen (Brisbane) | ARTICLE
#43 Dana Hooker (West Coast) | ARTICLE
#42 Georgie Prespakis (Geelong) | ARTICLE
#41 Breann Moody (Carlton) | ARTICLE
#40 Hayley Miller (Fremantle) | ARTICLE
#39 Emma King (North Melbourne) | ARTICLE
#38 Dakota Davidson (Brisbane) | ARTICLE
#37 Meghan McDonald (Geelong) | ARTICLE
#36 Stacey Livingstone (Collingwood) | ARTICLE
#35 Daisy Pearce (Melbourne) | ARTICLE
#34 Rebecca Beeson (GWS) | ARTICLE
#33 Sarah Allan (Adelaide) | ARTICLE
#32 Kerryn Harrington (Carlton) | ARTICLE
#31 Janelle Cuthbertson (Fremantle) | ARTICLE
#30 Emily Bates (Brisbane)

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Picture credit: Getty Images

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