Ash Riddell has claimed the AFLW's highest accolade, winning the league's best and fairest award after years of being overlooked. She marked the achievement with a hilarious roast directed at her husband.
The North Melbourne midfielder narrowly edged out Geelong's Georgie Prespakis and West Coast's Ella Roberts in a thrilling count in Melbourne on Monday evening.
With a dominant season that saw her named best on ground six times across 12 matches, Riddell finished with 23 votes. This tally placed her three votes ahead of runner-up Prespakis, who pulled 20.
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Riddell, 29, was overlooked in the first two AFLW drafts before North Melbourne selected her for their inaugural AFLW expansion season in 2019.
In her acceptance speech, Riddell delighted the audience by poking fun at her husband and Kangaroos fitness boss, Vincent Atkinson, specifically targeting his attempts to provide unwanted football tips.
"Vinnie, you're obviously my greatest support, and you're probably the one who got me back into football," she said.
"Gosh, you annoy me when you try and give me tips on how to play the game, when all you ever played was rugby, and you're the worst football player.
"You still think you're a better football player than me, but whatever. You just stick to doing our gym programs and telling people off.
"I'm so thankful, I'm just surrounded by so many people who support and love me and make me better every day."
Having played junior footy and basketball, Riddell credited Vinnie and his friends' love of the game as the inspiration for her to return to football primarily for the social side — specifically, the post-game trips to the pub.
However, the professional competitive drive soon kicked in.
"Then I probably got a little bit too competitive and wanted to take it to the next level when the AFLW came in," she said.
The 2024 premiership player broke her own AFLW disposal record three times this season. As a result, she now holds three of the top five all-time individual disposal tallies in the league.
Riddell also heaped praise on her star North Melbourne teammate, Jasmine Garner, attributing their deep bond and synergy to her own success.
"We just make each other better, we're by-products of each other on the field, and we have some really good times off the field as well," she said.
"It makes footy really enjoyable."
Garner earned the captaincy of the All-Australian team for the third time and was awarded a record-equalling eighth selection in the team of the year.
"I really admired the way that she went about it, and she's so humble," Riddell said of Garner.
"She should be up here a few more times than I should be.
"She's an amazing player and is so well respected by the AFLW community."
North Melbourne had a strong showing in the All-Australian team, with Riddell and Garner named alongside teammates Tahlia Randall and Blaithin Bogue.
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All four players are expected to be key figures in Saturday night's grand final showdown against Brisbane.
The Kangaroos enter the decider as hot favourites, carrying a record 26-match winning streak into the grand final as they look to defend their premiership title.
In a final surprise during the presentation of the 21-strong All-Australian team, a sudden stop by the floating stage nearly sent the entire group tumbling.
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