AKAYLA Peterson has taken home first place in the VFLW Best and Fairest tonight. 

Polling 56 votes over 10 games, Peterson had an immediate impact on the side, with her athleticism and versatility being key assets to the team. 

Despite an unfortunate run with injury midway through the season which saw her miss four games, Peterson still managed to take home the top prize on Monday night.

VFLW Senior Coach Luke O’Shannessy had nothing but positive things to say about Paterson’s first season in the Navy Blue. 

“Coming from a high-performance netball background, Akayla hit the ground running and had an immediate impact with her athleticism, allowing her to run rings around any opposition and clean ball handling enabling her to be one of the cleanest players around the contest,”  O’Shannessy said. 

“She unfortunately missed several games midway through the regular season with some niggling overuse injuries, yet has managed to win this award off 10 home-and-away matches.

“It just goes to show the calibre of player she is currently and what her future holds in the game.”  

AFLW-listed player Maddy Guerin was a deserving runner-up, polling 41 votes in her first season as a Blue, despite only playing six games at VFLW level. 

The Game Changer was unanimously voted best-on-ground in Round 11 in a win against her old side in the Demons. 

After experiencing the feeling of running out in the Navy Blue following her trade last year, Guerin - recovering from her long-term knee injury - continued to go from strength to strength when she fronted up for the VFLW Blues.

O’Shannessy was grateful to have her on board and was happy to assist with her development as a player for the future in the Navy Blue. 

“To have someone of her calibre as a member of a very young side is invaluable,” he said. 

“Averaging 22.5 disposals across her 6 games this season, it is no surprise to see her feature so prominently in the 2021 awards.”

Jennifer Lew took home third place, polling 39 votes over her six games in 2021. 

In what was otherwise a forgettable occasion for the VFLW Blues, Lew’s best performance was in Round 2 against Port Melbourne, where she totalled 24 disposals and tried to will her side over the line.

Playing a mix of defence, midfield and forward, O’Shannessy said they were sure they were going to get a consistent output no matter where they played her on the field. 

AFLW rookie Paige Trudgeon was awarded the Best First Year Player award, while the VFLW-listed trio in captain Ally Bild (Best Club Person), vice-captain Jen Lew (Most Valuable Bluebagger) and Steph Lawrence (Coaches Award) were also acknowledged on the night.

1st place: Akayla Peterson

2nd place: Maddy Guerin 

3rd place: Jennifer Lew

Best First Year player: Paige Trudgeon

Coaches Award: Steph Lawrence

Most Valuable Bluebagger: Jen Lew

Best Club person: Ally Bild