Georgia Patrikios in action during the AFLW R1 match between St Kilda and Adelaide at RSEA Park on August 17, 2025. Picture: Getty Images/AFL Photos

ROUND one is always full of surprises, and 2025 didn’t disappoint!

First off, we could have a bumper crop of superstar AFLW Fantasy rookies this season. Things started with a bang on Thursday night – the shining of lights of AFLW football proved no impediment for rookie scoring sensations Lucia Painter (95) and Havana Harris (88).

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Not to be outdone, Zippy Fish (97) looked as comfortable at half-back for Sydney as we have ever seen a rookie in the AFLW. India Rasheed (71), Holly Ridewood (66), and Kyla Forbes (58) all performed well above expectations, and will have massively helped the team value of any owners.  

Not all things were spectacular in the world of Fantasy in round one, however, as we began to see the impact of the new holding the ball and ruck contest rules, which led to a number of lower scores for premium rucks (Matilda Scholz 48, Ally Morphett 57) and premium midfielders (Charlie Rowbottom 78, Ally Anderson 67, Anne Hatchard 61). It remains to be seen whether there is the same drop in ruck contests/stoppages (down 30-35 per cent) across the entire season, or whether there are changes made by teams to still generate stoppages and restart play.

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TOP FIVE PRICE RISES

Zippy Fish (MID, $590,000): +$186,000
Lucia Painter (MID, $578,000): +$182,000
Havana Harris (RUC, $573,000): +$152,000
Jess Rentsch (DEF, $457,000): +$143,000
Tyla Hanks (MID, $1,082,000): +$140,000

TOP FIVE PRICE FALLS

Sophie Conway (MID, $880,000): -$214,000
Alyce Parker (MID, $1,031,000): -$173,000
Kate Darby (RUC, $545,000): -$170,000
Catherine Svarc (MID, $720,000): -$145,000
Shineah Goody (MID, $696,000): -$129,000
STOCKS UP

Zarlie Goldsworthy (FWD, $1,034,000)
After threatening a forward role all pre-season, Goldsworthy now looks certain to play plenty of midfield time. An unfortunate season-ending injury to Alyce Parker has left the midfield in need of top talent, and Goldsworthy is the best fit to step in. Playing from the centre in round one, Goldsworthy racked up 19 touches and nine tackles to score 93 – the highest of any forward. And with 98 per cent time on ground, there aren’t many players you’ll love to watch in your Fantasy than her. Along with captain Bec Beeson, Goldsworthy should be given license to roam the midfield freely all season if the Giants are serious about winning games in 2025.

Shelley Heath (DEF, $827,000)
While there are plenty of beneficiaries of the Demons’ fantastic fixture, Shelley Heath may just be the best for Fantasy coaches. After a few promising stints last season, Heath has now transitioned to a full-time midfielder for Melbourne, amassing 23 touches and eight tackles on the weekend for 102 Fantasy points. Heath added plenty of pace to a dominant Melbourne midfield, and looks likely to be one of the highest-scoring Fantasy defenders this season. One small query on her role comes in the form of Kate Hore, who started forward and will slowly return to the midfield over the coming weeks. But Heath’s line-breaking run should be enough to keep her there in enough capacity to justify trading her in at this price. Olivia Purcell (MID, $1,062,000) and Tyla Hanks (MID, $1,082,000) are also underpriced for what they could deliver this year.

Georgia Patrikios (MID, $785,000)
The Saints took a major scalp on the weekend, and their new midfield mix was a big reason why. Tyanna Smith, Georgia Patrikios and Jaimee Lambert combined for 71 touches and 11 inside 50s against the usually dominant Crows midfield. With the speed of the game kicking up a gear yet again this season, outside runners like Patrikios are seeing more of the ball and at just 7.8 per cent ownership could be Fantasy gold. With a score of 89 on Sunday and a previous career-best average of 90, Patrikios is a bargain potentially $300,000 underpriced. It may take some tinkering with some full midfields already and those seeking to play Zippy Fish on field, but don’t sleep on the potential value hidden here.

Havana Harris (RUC, $573,000)
As a debutant playing key forward for a team seemingly destined for a bottom-four finish, I didn’t hold much hope for the No.2 draft pick to show what she is capable of early in the 2025 season. But how wrong I was! Harris was everywhere against the Eagles, forming a critical link in their chain going forward. She took six marks and led Gold Coast for inside 50s, ending up with 88 Fantasy points. With her athleticism, she roamed far up the ground and created plenty of space to lead or double back into. Of all the rookies not named Zippy Fish, Harris has the best potential for cash generation given her promising four-week run against the Swans, Power, Giants and Blues.

Havana Harris celebrates a goal during the AFLW R1 match between Gold Coast and West Coast at Mineral Resources Park on August 14, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

STOCKS DOWN

Piper Window (FWD, $670,000)
A six-week ankle injury is a very unfortunate bullet for coaches as Window had impressed in a CBA heavy mid-forward role for Port. The question for traders is whether to look at trading in the premium (Zarlie Goldsworthy), or continue to shop in value areas, with both Imogen Barnett and Ash Woodland sitting within striking distance. Woodland seems like the most natural beneficiary, role-wise, of Window’s injury but comes up against North Melbourne’s Harlem Globetrotter midfield, whereas Barnett runs into the Giants. Personally, I prefer Goldsworthy the most out of the three, but would not talk anyone out of the other two.

Ash Centra (MID, $384,000)
The Centra bounce, the overhead mark, the goal with her first kick, the waltzing around Carlton defenders – we saw glimpses of Ash Centra talent,  It just didn’t lead to any Fantasy points. Centra looks likely to play a near 100 per cent forward role for a little while, as she works her way into the level after an interrupted pre-season. With the volume of rookies who scored well in round one, Centra can go to someone who looks more likely to generate cash.

Angelique Stannett (FWD, $712,000)
The warning signs were there in the pre-season, but we forged ahead with picking Stannett coming off her ACL injury in 2024. The 44 was well below our expectations, and that included two goals to ‘save’ her score, after she spent very limited time on ground (68 per cent) and no time in the midfield. If you have managed to avoid the Piper Window bullet, Stannett can be traded to the same trio of top-scoring forwards from the weekend.

Darcy Vescio (FWD, $439,000)
It was a game of almosts, nearlys, and not-quites for DV. 28 points is not great output, given that they scored a 60+ in the practice match, 35 of which came in playing in defence in the first half. However, with Collingwood unable to frequently enter forward 50, score many behinds (Vescio had one of two kick-ins), and after DV had a game-high six spoils (which we would all prefer to be intercept marks instead), they are at a point that they can be traded out coming into the Hawks match-up this round. Whether they are a higher priority trade out than Stannett is questionable, as Vescio has far less cash to lose compared to the Freo captain.

Darcy Vescio in action during the AFLW R1 match between Carlton and Collingwood at Ikon Park on August 14, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

TOP ROOKIES

Not enough can be said about this amazing group of rookie-priced players after several match-winning efforts on the weekend. They weren’t trade targets due to their ownership numbers but anyone without Zippy Fish (97) and Jess Rentsch (75) should be jumping through hoops to bring them in. And at just 21 per cent ownership, Havana Harris (88) rounds out the top three best rookies to look at this week.

But there were plenty of other rookies that produced huge scores – the efforts of Lucia Painter (95) had a big say in West Coast claiming the four premiership points over the weekend, while Charlotte Baskaran (79) had an eye-catching performance in the Saints upset win over Adelaide. For those still seeking value, here’s a few more players to keep your eye on.

Best of the rest:
Poppy Sholz (DEF, $441,000)
Rebecca Ott (DEF, $407,000)
Kyla Forbes (DEF, $397,000)
India Rasheed (MID, $490,000)
Sarah Poustie (MID, $392,000)
Courtney Murphy (RUC, $426,000)
Caitlin Murphy (FWD, $487,000)
Amber Clarke (FWD, $438,000)
Hayley McLaughlin (FWD, $442,000)
Laura Stone (FWD, $362,000)

BEST CAPTAINS

After the call before round one that she would be default captain for the season, Ebony Marinoff (113) did not quite hit the same 170 heights that we might have hoped for. The highest scorer of the week, Jas Garner (130), played against Geelong, which is coincidentally the same match-up for Noffty’s Adelaide this weekend, giving some confidence to pick her as the No.1 captain option for another week. Garner and her teammate Ash Riddell sit highly in the rankings thanks to a match-up vs Port Adelaide, which they handedly thrashed in a 2024 preliminary final. Laura Gardiner and Mon Conti will both benefit from (a) bigger grounds, and (b) less restrictive opposition in their match-ups this week.

If you are a Marinoff owner, she should get your C, with someone like Georgie Prespakis or Kiara Bowers getting your VC in the event of disaster. If you are fading (or trading) Marinoff, then Jas Garner firms as the top captain candidate. For VC, Mon Conti can’t be the selection due to the overlap of their Sunday games, so depending on who you could use as your red dot, Kaira Bowers, Laura Gardiner, or Georgie Prespakis are all decent spots to look. 

No.1: Ebony Marinoff (vs Geelong, Sunday 3:05pm AEST)
No.2: Jasmine Garner (vs Port Adelaide, Sunday 1:05pm AEST)
No.3: Ash Riddell (vs Port Adelaide, Sunday 1:05pm AEST)
No.4: Monique Conti (vs Western Bulldogs, Sunday 12:30pm AEST)
No.5: Laura Gardiner (Gold Coast, Saturday 3:30pm AEST)

Other options to consider: Brittany Bonnici (vs GWS), Ella Roberts (vs Essendon), Georgia Nanscawen (vs West Coast), Mim Strom (vs Brisbane), Eliza West (vs Carlton)

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