Elevated to the Bulldogs’ leadership group for the first time, Katie Lynch shone both on and off the field in season seven.

Despite having just 25 games under her belt coming into the campaign, she qualified as one of the Dogs’ more senior defenders alongside Naomi Ferres and Bailey Hunt.

She got off to a great start in the opening round against GWS, registering 13 disposals to go with five marks before backing this up with some dominant performances across the 11 weeks to earn a maiden spot in the All Australian squad of 42.

The 22-year-old finished second across the competition for total marks (56), while leading the Club for intercept possessions (64) and sharing the lead for total rebound-50s (30) with Hunt.

By the numbers

Season highlight

While Lynch was a solid contributor across the entire season, one of her best outings came against her former club, Collingwood, in the elimination final.

Claiming 20 disposals, six marks, five tackles and 310 metres gained, Lynch’s strong hands and aerial abilities cut off several of the Pies’ forward-50 forays.

Her reliability and leadership was on full display, using her voice to help set-up her teammates behind the ball, and was judged best afield in a losing cause.

What they said

“Katie brings a unique set of skills to the backline. She reads the ball extremely well for a defender, and has all the skills that would actually make her a great forward – but she’s decided that the best thing for the team is to take that young backline under her wing. She’s done a super job at that while also playing some great football.” – coach Nathan Burke.