WILLIAMSTOWN star Emily Eaves has added her name to the Lambert-Pearce Medal winners board after taking out the award at last night’s VFL and VFLW Awards night. She was joined on the dais by joint J.J Liston Trophy winners George Stevens and Trent Mynott, with the pair sharing the VFL’s top gong despite finishing equal third on the leaderboard.

Stevens and Mynott polled 22 votes in the award, four behind former Bomber now Port Melbourne midfielder Ben Hobbs (26 votes) and Southport Sharks skipper Jacob Dawson (25) but both were deemed ineligible pre-count due to suspensions during the year. Incredibly, Melbourne’s Joel Fitzgerald finished fifth with 20 votes despite not playing since Round 11.

In the Lambert-Pearce Medal, Seagulls midfielder Eaves cleared the next best by three votes, polling 21 for the year to see off Collingwood skipper and AFLW injury replacement player Dominique Carbone. Consistent Carlton ball-winner Hannah Scott finished third on 17 votes, one clear of Box Hill Hawks midfielder and former West Coast Eagle, Kayley Kavanagh.

North Melbourne Werribee recruit Ava Seton was one of three players to poll 14 votes and finish equal fifth in the Lambert-Pearce Medal, but took out the VFLW Coaches MVP. She earned 76 votes from the league’s mentors, leaving Carbone second in yet another award (72). Eaves finished fourth on 67 votes, with Scott (66) and Seton’s Kangaroos’ teammate Alana Barba top five across both awards.

In the men’s voting, Dawson was a runaway winner with 105 votes, 15 clear of former Magpie now Coburg midfielder Jack Bytel (90). Stevens (89), Mynott (85) and Hobbs (79) rounded out the top five in what was a clear distinction of the league’s most prolific players in season 2026.

Frankston’s Corey Ellison won the Jim ‘Frosty’ Miller Medal for the VFL Leading Goalkicker, helped by the fact Collingwood drafted Mitchell Podhajski midseason. Ellison booted 52 goals for the year, while Williamstown sharpshooter Mia Zielinski slotted 32 goals to take him her first Rohenna Young Medal.

Werribee’s Brady Wright – the competition’s most intriguing mature-age draft prospect – will be looking to continue the good fortune of Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal winners by ending up on and AFL list. Collingwood’s Stella Huxtable won the Debbie Lee Medal for the VFLW’s Rising Star, making it back-to-back Magpie wins after Tahlia Sanger the year before.

FULL AWARD WINNERS:

J.J. LISTON TROPHY (VFL Best and Fairest)
Ben Hobbs* (Port Melbourne) – 26 votes
Jacob Dawson* (Southport Sharks) – 25
Trent Mynott (Frankston) – 22
George Stevens (Geelong Cats) – 22
Joel Fitzgerald (Casey Demons/Williamstown) – 20
Finn Maginness (Box Hill Hawks) – 19
Jack Bytel (Coburg) – 18
Jack Toner (Williamstown) – 17
Elijah Tsatas (Essendon) – 16
* Ineligible due to being suspended

LAMBERT-PEARCE MEDAL (VFLW Best and Fairest)
Emily Eaves (Williamstown) – 21 votes
Dom Carbone (Collingwood) – 18
Hannah Scott (Carlton) – 17
Kayley Kavanagh (Box Hill Hawks) – 16
Alana Barba (North Melbourne Werribee) – 14
Ava Seton (North Melbourne Werribee) – 14
Mia Zielinski (Williamstown) – 14
El Chaston (Essendon) – 13
Jorja Livingstone (Western Bulldogs) – 13
Isabella Daddo (Darebin) – 12
Amelia Peck (Collingwood) 12

VFL COACHES MVP
Jacob Dawson (Southport Sharks) – 105 votes
Jack Bytel (Coburg) – 90
George Stevens (Geelong Cats) – 89
Trent Mynott (Frankston) – 85
Ben Hobbs (Port Melbourne) – 79
Jye Menzie (Tasmania) – 57
Joel Fitzgerald (Casey Demons/Williamstown) – 55
Jack Ough (GWS Giants) – 54
Jack Bowes (Geelong Cats) – 51
Cooper Craig-Peters (Footscray Bulldogs) – 51

VFLW COACHES MVP
Ava Seton (North Melbourne Werribee) – 76 votes
Dom Carbone (Collingwood) – 72
Alana Barba (North Melbourne Werribee) – 68
Emily Eaves (Williamstown) – 67
Hannah Scott (Carlton) – 66
Kayley Kavanagh (Box Hill Hawks) – 50
Caitlin Bunker (Darebin) – 47
Mia Caffry (Port Melbourne) – 45
Mia Zielinski (Williamstown) – 44
El Chaston (Essendon) – 43
Naomi Ferres (Williamstown) – 43

VFL TEAM OF THE YEAR

B: Stu Horner (Box Hill) (c) – Nathan Kreuger (Geeleong) – Luke Parks (Williamstown)
HB: Jackson Voss (Frankston) – Tyler Sellers (Essendon) – Donovan Toohey (Coburg)
C: Jack Bytel (Coburg) – Jacob Dawson (Southport) – Mitch Knevitt (Geelong)
HF: Zac Foot (Southport) – Mitch Podhajski (Coburg/Collingwood) – Jed Hagan (Tasmania)
F: Brady Wright (Werribee) – Corey Ellison (Frankson) – Jaidyn Stevenson (Coburg)
R: Ajang Kuol Mun (Werribee) – George Stevens (Geelong) – Trent Mynott (Frankston)
INT: Hugh Dixon (Tasmania) – Ben Hobbs (Port Melbourne) – Henry Hustwaite (Box Hill) – Jye Menzie (Tasmania) – Jack Ough (GWS) – Jack Riding (Werribee)

VFLW TEAM OF THE YEAR

B: Lucy Burke (Carlton) – Laura Blue (Williamstown)
HB: Annie Lee (Geelong) – Annabelle Embelton (Box Hill) – Naomi Ferres (Williamstown)
C: Ava Seton (North Melbourne-Werribee) – Alana Barba (North Melbourne-Werribee) (c) – Jorja Livingstone (Western Bulldogs)
HF: Grace White (Tasmania) – Nell Morris-Dalton (Carlton) – Dom Carbone (Collingwood)
F: Amelia Peck (Collingwood) – Mia Zielinski (Williamstown)
R: Georgia Howes (Williamstown) – Emily Eaves (Williamstown) – Hannah Scott (Carlton)
INT: Maddie Di Cosmo (North Melbourne-Werribee) – Octavia Di Donato (Carlton) – Stella Huxtable (Collingwood) – Kayley Kavanagh (Box Hill) – Renee Tierney (North Melbourne Werribee)