Western Bulldogs midfielder Emma Kearney has been crowned the 2018 AFLW best and fairest player at the W Awards on Tuesday night.
Polling in every game and judged best afield twice, Kearney finished with 14 votes, five ahead of Fremantle's Dana Hooker, Collingwood's Chloe Molloy and GWS' Courtney Gum, who all tied for second place.
Fellow Bulldog midfielder Ellie Blackburn was next on the leaderboard with six votes.
Accepting the award, Kearney had a long list of thank yous.
"To my family and friends, it's really been great this year because I've been super happy and that certainly helps my performance on the field," she said.
"To my Bulldogs teammates, (and coach) Paul Goves, you've taken on an incredible amount of feedback from last season and really implemented it, and it's no wonder we were able to celebrate on Saturday because the changes you've made to the Club, and the culture you've developed has been fantastic.
"A special mention to Ellie Blackburn, who's probably the best player I've been able to play alongside. It helps my performance, being able to play alongside a player like that."
The win capped off a remarkable individual season for the 28-year-old who led the competition in disposals, averaging 19.6 per game, in rebound 50s with 3.6 per game and ranked second for inside 50s (3.9 per game) and clearances (5 per game).
Kearney was also named in the AFLW All-Australian team alongside teammates, Blackburn, Brooke Lochland and Hannah Scott, while Monique Conti finished second in the Rising Star voting to Magpie, Molloy.
LEADERBOARD
1. Emma Kearney (WB) - 14 votes
2. Dana Hooker (FRE) - 9 votes
3. Chloe Molloy (COLL) - 9 votes
4. Courteney Gum (GWS) - 9 votes
5. Ellie Blackburn (WB) - 6 votes
