Ash Woodland in action during the AFLW R1 match between Port Adelaide and Fremantle at Alberton Oval on August 17, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

WHAT a weekend for Fantasy! Massive scores from players across the competition have resulted in the highest-scoring round of AFLW Fantasy we have seen (double weeks of 2024 aside).

Round one may have seen the rise of plenty of debutants and rookie-priced players, but round two was undoubtedly the return of the premium players. 

FANTASY LATEST Tips, strategy, draft, podcasts, more

Ash Riddell (165), Jas Garner (158) and Laura Gardiner (154) were sensational, setting a new benchmark for ceiling scores in 2025. With popular players like Montana Ham (133), Ebony Marinoff (129) and Chloe Molloy (118) also posting huge scores, the top scores among Fantasy teams was off the charts. The top score of the round by Phillip C’s team was 1,715 – a full 260 points higher than round one’s top score!

The ceiling scores weren’t the only thing to return, with ruck scoring looking much closer to what we saw in 2024. Lucy Wales (103) and Tahlia Hickie (101) were the only two to break the ton, but a further seven rucks managed to score over 80. With a lot of solid scores, the trade targets ahead of round three ask a different question – what lines are you wanting to spend up on and where are you playing your rookies? Last week, it looked like cheap rucks were the option but now it is far less clear. Stoppage numbers are still lower than they were last season, but our ruck line-up is probably the most unique spot on our Fantasy teams and a good score could set you apart. Plenty to mull over before round three!

Listen to the AFLW Fantasy Podcast with Free Kick at Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 

TOP FIVE PRICE RISES

Zippy Fish (MID, $826,000): +$236,000
Montana Ham (FWD, $971,000): +$235,000
Tyla Hanks (MID, $1,262,000): +$180,000
Matilda Dyke (RUC, $652,000): +$170,000
Tayla Harris (FWD, $677,000): +$163,000

TOP FIVE PRICE FALLS

Sophie Conway (MID, $699,000): -$181,000
Greta Bodey (FWD, $588,000): -$160,000
Ellie Blackburn (MID, $953,000): -$159,000
Claudia Whitfort (MID, $899,000): -$155,000
Eilish Sheerin (MID, $768,000): -$154,000
STOCKS UP

Ash Woodland (FWD, $861,000, avg 79.5)
She was on our radars last week when Piper Window was ruled out with injury, and with the suspension to Bonnie Toogood, 50 per cent of coaches are now searching for a forward trade target. Woodland has now had two weeks of good scoring (83 and 76) with a good role to boot, with Port Adelaide giving the mid-forward a spot at 89 per cent of CBAs in round two vs North Melbourne. What makes Woodland the top target for the week is her round three match-up against Gold Coast, which has allowed an astronomical number of points to goalkicking midfielders to start the season, including a 133 from Montana Ham this past weekend. Factor her into your trade plans this week!

Ash Riddell (MID, $1,475,000, avg 129.5)
I am sure that Jasmine Garner did not love the tagging attention she received from Ella Heads in round two, but it gave Riddell the chance to rack up touches like few ever have in AFLW history, with a record-equalling 43 disposals en route to a career-high Fantasy score of 165. To top it off, Riddell had 88 per cent time on ground, likely as a result of Garner being sent to half-forward to rest/break the tag. With Fremantle and Collingwood on the horizon for North Melbourne, both teams which are Fantasy goldmines for midfielders, Riddell should be the target of the week, particularly if any coaches are considering a cash-generating downgrade trade from Ebony Marinoff.

Ash Riddell in action during the AFLW R2 match between North Melbourne and Port Adelaide at Arden Street Oval on August 24, 2025. Picture: Getty Images/AFL Photos

Kate Hore (MID, $993,000, avg 76.5)
Melbourne is the AFLW’s most in-form team currently, and that has been without seeing the absolute best from their captain Kate Hore. Starting slow in round one (60 Fantasy points) as she recovered from a mild pre-season knee injury, in round two we got a glimpse of the scoring that Hore might be capable of as the season progresses, scoring 93 (including a frustrating 1.3 in front of the big sticks) and markedly upping her time in the middle. Now that Olivia Purcell will miss the season with an ACL injury, Hore will be called upon to take an even greater scoring role in the Demons midfield, right as they hit a juicy run of match-ups, starting this weekend vs Collingwood. As if it couldn’t get better, one of the Pies’ few midfielders capable of matching Hore’s size/speed/agility combination, Ruby Schleicher, is out with a concussion, increasing the chances that Melbourne’s superstar could hit a three figure score.

Liz McGrath (RUC, $633,000)
West Coast has had a turnstile of rucks in Daisy Pearce’s 13-game tenure to date – it had an AFLW-leading six players attend more than 25 ruck contests in 2024. However, Liz McGrath might have stopped the ruck rotation, putting forward an excellent case to hold onto the No.1 role over Sarah Lakay (who was dropped for the Essendon game).  McGrath amassed 31 hitouts to Essendon’s seven, had 92 per cent ToG, and was second for the Eagles in intercept possession, in what clearly amounted to the most compelling performance for any Eagles ruck in the last two seasons. Her next two match ups (St Kilda vs Bec Ott & Port Adelaide vs Matilda Scholz) are enticing, and are a huge green flag for any coaches looking to make a cash grab from a premium ruck not named Mim Strom to a star on the rise.

Liz McGrath in action during the AFLW R2 match between West Coast and Essendon at Windy Hill on August 24, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

STOCKS DOWN

Bonnie Toogood (FWD, $613,000)
A two-week suspension in a 12-week season will immediately make any player a trade out priority. Toogood had finally shown everyone a glimpse of the scoring potential that we had sorely missed this season and last. For any coaches considering keeping Toogood to use as a loop, sadly Essendon play the first game this weekend, so is basically a guaranteed trade.

Charlie Rowbottom (MID, $1,131,000)
It has been a tough first two weeks of AFLW Fantasy for any owners of Rowbottom. After two consecutive seasons of 100+ averages, the rampaging inside midfielder has well and truly fallen back to the back, scoring only 74 vs Sydney. The once premium midfielder has not been able to generate the stoppage scoring that underpinned her elite scoring of 2023 and 2024, with her tackle numbers down by nearly 50 per cent (eight down to 4.5), likely due to a combination of an inexperienced Suns list, a new coach’s system, and the AFLW’s stoppage rule changes. Coaches could wait for Rowbottom to return to form, but with lots of cash still lose, and little reason to believe that the 100+ scoring will eventuate in the short term, she should be traded out ASAP.

Grace Kos (FWD, $324,000)
As much as many coaches were hoping for Kos to be a facsimile for Eilish O’Dowd, an Irish ruck for GWS who could immediately use their athleticism to score consistently over 50 Fantasy points for cheap, it might be time to admit that this is not going to happen. The athleticism remains evident, but after a knee knock vs Collingwood which has Kos as a test on this week’s injury report and with the tough Crows match-up upcoming, coaches should look to find a way to trade Kos out.

Grace Kos is tackled by Carly Remmos during the AFLW R2 match between GWS and Collingwood at Victoria Park on August 23, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

Greta Bodey (FWD, $588,000)
In 2024, Hawthorn had Bodey playing a hybrid wing-forward role that proved to be a boon for Fantasy scoring, boosting this career 50 averaging player into someone who looked capable of hitting the 65 mark (effectively the line needed to be considered a forward premium. 2025 has not been anywhere near as fruitful for Bodey sadly, the time up the ground has well and truly disappeared. After scoring only 27 vs Carlton in round two sitting as one of the Hawks’ deepest F50 targets and with an average of only 30, the time has come to trade Bodey out, and hope to jump back on if she is afforded some freedom to leave the forward line.

TOP ROOKIES

Best rookies to play on field:

Defenders

Rebecca Ott (STK, $527,000)
Kyla Forbes (STK, $530,000)
Jess Rentsch (WCE, $548,000)

Midfielders:

Zippy Fish (SYD, $826,000)
Lucia Painter (WCE, $670,000)
Sarah Poustie (WBD, $518,000)

Rucks:

Liz McGrath (WCE, RUC, $633,000)
Havana Harris (GCS, $661,000)

Forwards:

Laura Stone (HAW, FWD, $491,000)
Blaithin Bogue (NTH, $444,000)
Amber Clarke (STK, $475,000)

Best of the Rest (under $500,000 for your bench):

Tess Boyd (NTH, DEF, $428,000)
Kaylee Kimber (WBD, DEF, $465,000)
Ash Centra (COL, MID, $417,000)
Lily Paterson (PA, MID, $341,000)
Erika Fowler (GEE, RUC, $358,000)
Piper Dunlop (GEE, RUC, $392,000)
Ellie Hampson (BRI, FWD, $487,000)
Amelia Martin (SYD, FWD, $369,000)

BEST CAPTAINS

Two weeks in a row Ebony Marinoff has not been the highest scorer of the round, so its time has come to lock back in on our captain picks. That being said, Marinoff is still a very good option this week, given her history of 170+ scores vs the Giants (she’s managed to score 170+ in her of the last three seasons against GWS). The North mids are also on a tear and aren’t likely to run into substantial scoring opposition this week against Fremantle.

No.1: Ebony Marinoff (vs GWS, Saturday 1:05pm AEST)
No.2: Ash Riddell (vs Fremantle, Sunday 3:05pm AEST)
No.3: Jasmine Garner (vs Fremantle, Sunday 3:05pm AEST)
No.4: Kate Hore (vs Collingwood, Sunday 1:05pm)
No.5: Abbey Dowrick (vs Gold Coast, Saturday 5:05pm AEST)

Other options to consider: Tyla Hanks (vs Collingwood), Ella Roberts (vs St Kilda), Georgia Nanscawen (vs Richmond), Mim Strom (vs North Melbourne), Mon Conti (vs Essendon)

Get expert advice from Free Kick during the pre-season in the Fantasy Hub. Follow AFL Fantasy on X and Instagram and ‘like’ the Facebook page to join in the conversation.