If you only remember one name from this guide, make it Ebony Marinoff. The Adelaide champion averaged 149.3 GameDay Squad points last season, and our projections have them going again this year. Whatever card of theirs you can get, play it.
Here is the wrinkle beginners miss: in AFLW on GameDay Squad you field six midfielders, not seven like the men's AFL game (your full squad is 7 DEF, 6 MID, 2 RUK, 7 FWD, bench included and bench scores full points). Midfielders are the biggest scorers in the game, so with one fewer spot, there is no room for a passenger.
The top tier
All averages are from last season on GameDay Squad scoring.
- Ebony Marinoff (Adelaide). 149.3 average. The benchmark, and their 140 against Ireland without kicking a goal shows the floor.
- Laura Gardiner (Sydney). 149.0 average, basically level with Marinoff, and still only entering a fourth season. Last year Gardiner went to another level entirely. People were a bit slow accepting she was a must have last season so learn from their mistakes.
- Ash Riddell (North Melbourne). 137.3 average, and the pre-season reads beautifully: 33 disposals in a practice match, then 21 more cruising for Australia against Ireland.
- Jasmine Garner (North Melbourne). 135.9 average, captained Australia and took home best on ground on the weekend. In career-best touch.
- Kiara Bowers (Fremantle). 131.7 average built on tackles, which happen even when the ball avoids you. The highest floor in the game. Not prominent in pre season so hard to know how the 34 year old will look this year. Don't expect improvement but I cant see her falling out of relevance.
Filling the last spot
- Charlie Rowbottom (Gold Coast) averaged 117.5 and would walk into most squads. Had a slow start adjusting to the 2025 rule changes but finished the season strong.
- Kate Hore (Melbourne) averaged 114.0 and kicked a goal for Australia on Saturday.
- Sofia Hurley (Sydney) is midfield-listed and averaged 104.4 from five games last season, at under-22 age. One for the youth build.
- One flag from the pre-season: GWS have been without Zarlie Goldsworthy (101.8 average last season), which pushes Alyce Parker back into primary ball-winner duties for the Giants after an almost completely lost 2025. Parker had 21 disposals and a goal in their practice match.
A simple first-season plan
Spend your best cards here. A Gold or better rarity on Marinoff or Gardiner multiplies the biggest base scores in the competition, which is exactly what multipliers are for. If your packs did not turn up midfield premiums, Bronze versions of the players above still out-score fancy cards of lesser mids. Six spots, six genuine ball-winners, no cute picks. That is the whole strategy.