North Melbourne Kangaroos’ Jasmine Garner named captain again, earns selection for eighth time
Jasmine Garner cemented her reputation as a giant of the AFLW on Monday night, captaining the All-Australian team for the third time and being named a record eighth in the team of the year.
This honor recognizes the remarkable impact Garner has had on the AFLW; Garner will wrap up her 10th season with the grand final on Saturday, where Garner and teammate Emma Kearney – the league’s other eight-time All-Australian – will try to guide North Melbourne to back-to-back titles.
Northern midfield duo Ash Riddell and Jasmine Garner at the AFLW awards night.Credit: Getty Images
Although Kearney did not make the team this year, three other Kangaroos have joined the squad: rover Ash Riddell, centre-half forward Tahlia Randall and Blaithin Bogue (exchange).
North go into the grand final against the Brisbane Lions as heavy favourites, undefeated this season and looking for their 27th consecutive win.
That stretch includes last year’s grand final victory over the Lions, where Garner was rated the best on the ground. In fact, North’s last loss was against Brisbane in the 2023 grand final.
The Lions were well represented, with 12 of the 18 clubs having at least one player in the team, as they named defender Jennifer Dunne in the All-Australian team’s last line of defence, and Courtney Hodder at the other end of the field, as they beat preliminary finalists Melbourne (Maeve Chaplin, Tyla Hanks and Kate Hore) and Carlton (Harriet Cordner and Dayna Finn).
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The inclusion of imports Dunne, Bogue, as well as Irish compatriots Niamh McLaughlin (Gold Coast) and Aine McDonagh (Hawthorn), demonstrated the striking influence the Emerald Isle continue to have on the women’s game.
