Fremantle’s Kiara Bowers claims back-to-ack AFLW club best and fairest awards

Mitchell WoodcockThe West Australian
Camera IconFremantle Docker Kiara Bowers has claimed back-to-back best and fairest awards. Credit: Michael Wilson/The West Australian

Fremantle star Kiara Bowers has become the first Docker to win back-to-back AFLW club best and fairest awards after claiming the honour for 2020 at a private event held at club president Dale Alcock’s home tonight.

The tough nut polled 129 votes from seven games to finish 34 votes ahead of 2018 club champion Ebony Antonio (95 votes), with Hayley Miller (94), Gemma Houghton (91) and Ange Stannett (90) rounding out the top five.

Bowers, who was runner-up in the AFL Women’s Best and Fairest Award and an All-Australian for the second-straight season, starred for the Dockers as they went through the cancelled season undefeated.

The 28-year-old averaged almost 18 disposals, 11 contested, 3.7 clearances and a competition-high 14 tackles, more than double the next best in a dominant season.

Bowers becomes the first female player to win the award twice and joins the likes of Matthew Pavlich, Nat Fyfe, Peter Bell, Aaron Sandilands and Lachie Neale as multiple club champions at Fremantle.

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Senior coach Trent Cooper and assistant coaches Craig Thomas, Amy Lavell, Lisa Webb and Garrick Ibbotson awarded votes from zero to five per game for each player, with a player able to receive a maximum of 25 votes for an outstanding performance.

Bowers was also awarded the players’ award, which acknowledges the player who best displays the values set by the playing group at the start of the season.

Cooper said it “was no surprise” that Bowers had been recognised as Fremantle’s best player this season.

“Kiara was in our best, if not the best, player in every game and it was just a remarkable season where she produced each week at a really high level,” Cooper said.

“Even when she was injured during the middle part of the season, she managed to have a huge impact on the field.

“She not only plays well each week, but she lifts those around her and is a thoroughly deserving winner of the award.”

In other awards announced on the night, captain Kara Antonio was awarded best clubwoman and Mim Strom won the best first year player award.

Strom, 18, carried the Dockers’ in the ruck after Aine Tighe went down with a season-ending injury before round one and was stellar, ranked fourth for hit outs in the league, averaging 16 a game.

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