The AFLW's breakout stars of 2020

The AFLW season begins next week and the ball starts rolling immediately for the 14 teams in contention for flag.

The quality of players continues to improve and despite the talent being stretch across the larger competition, high-end players stand out considerably.

With this in mind, I’ll have a look at a handful of players who are expected to become household names and establish themselves as important if not star players for their clubs and the competition alike.

Chloe Molloy (Collingwood)
Perhaps the most highly rated young player at draft time, Molloy commenced her AFLW career playing out of defence, averaging an impressive 14 disposals and four marks per game, before missing the entirety of the 2019 season due to a nasty Lisfranc fracture. Most encouragingly, Molloy spent her injury time as part of the Magpies’ coaching staff and became intrinsically involved in match-day preparation, leaving her better off from a holistic point of view.

With an expectation that Collingwood will be the competition’s big improver in 2020, expect Molloy to spend more time forward, where she made a name for herself as an underage player coming through the ranks. She was the best forward in the VFLW last in 2019, rating elite in countless categories and asserting her dominance over the competition. One of the best talents in the competition, Molloy is a key part of the Magpies after just seven career games and this is the season, returning from injury, where she establishes herself as one of the top names in the sport.

Renee Garing (Geelong)
After a strong first season despite a very limited pre-season, Garing enters her second year as the experienced head and role model for her teammates at Geelong. Averaging 13 disposals and eight tackles a game, Garing finished third in Geelong’s best-and-fairest in her debut season, but was limited to being an inside contested bull without the complete running ability she would have had if not for a back injury.

(Photo by Scott Barbour/AFL Media/Getty Images)

Season 2020 sees Garing entering the AFLW with full fitness and confidence in her body, along with a couple of strings to her bow. For Geelong’s VFLW side, the 31-year-old averaged 20.6 disposals and nine tackles but in Geelong’s final pre-season match against the Bulldogs, she played predominately as a forward and booted three goals. The expectation will be that Garing splits her time between midfield and the forward line to give the Cats a boost in both areas. It gives her the opportunity to post some seriously good numbers, taking her game to another more damaging level in 2020.

Stephanie Cain (Fremantle)
The second pick from the 2017 draft, Cain had a solid season for a Fremantle team that could’ve done some serious damage in 2019. Having taken up a more outside role, Cain averaged 11 disposals and three marks a game, becoming a key distributor for the Dockers from a wing position. Natural improvement is to be expected from Cain, who at 23 years of age has already experienced decent success in multiple midfield positions.

Spots are open at the Dockers after nine of the club’s players moved across to West Coast. A massive hole is left by Dana Hooker’s absence, and while Fremantle mightn’t be quite at the stage to directly replace her, Cain is sure to have a massive opportunity to fast-track herself along the path to AFLW stardom.

Sarah Lampard (Melbourne)
A constantly improving player, Lampard looms as an important player in defence for the Demons. Entering her fourth year, Lampard has been consistent with ball in hand throughout her career, but her intercepting ability and defensive versatility has allowed her to get better and better.

Lampard’s fitness, playing ten more minutes in 2019 than she averaged over the first two seasons over her career, allows her to maintain defensive accountability that should remain while her attacking output improves. If Lampard can begin to back her kicking more – she averages just four kicks over her career – she can definitely enter All Australian contention sooner rather than later.

Sharni Layton (Collingwood)
With one season under the belt to become accustomed to the pace and competitiveness of AFLW, 2020 will be the year that Sharni Layton becomes a key AFLW player who happened to be the captain of the Diamonds in netball, rather than a former netballer first and foremost. At 188 centimetres, Layton will play as the Magpies’ number one ruck, and her raw athleticism and desire holds her in good stead to give Collingwood’s midfielders first opportunity at the footy.

Layton played six matches in her debut season but was a clear peripheral member who was used sparingly in games to fast-track her learning. With her experience in international sports and invaluable leadership to a team looking to bolt up the ladder, Layton may well be the most important cog to the Collingwood machine. Expect good output from her and the Magpies.

Alyce Parker (GWS)
If Parker’s first season in AFLW was underrated and underappreciated, then expect the former first-round pick to become a household name in 2020. Parker enjoyed a fantastic debut year, averaging 16 disposals and four tackles a game for an underwhelming Giants team. In a developing core through the centre, GWS have one of the best young players in the competition, who lived up to what was an illustrious junior career straight away.

A player with the perfect mix of clean kicking and power through congestion, there’s not much stopping Parker from claiming awards come the end of the season. The combination between her and ruck Jess Allan could fast-track them both into becoming the most dominant duo in the competition, which would surely improve GWS’ small chance of success this season. Becoming a top-ten player within two years of debuting will be a nice accolade for Parker.

Ashleigh Riddell (North Melbourne)
As is a common theme, injury is the only reason why Riddell isn’t a star of the competition already. An ankle injury suffered just two games into her debut season ruined the Riddell’s opportunity to have a huge impact for the Kangaroos, but with 16 disposals, ten contested possessions and a goal in her first game, enough was seen.

Riddell recovered from injury with enough time to play the final two months of the VFLW season, where she was typically dominant. Averaging 28 disposals, seven tackles and six clearances in those eight games, the 23-year-old has a special aura about her entering 2020. North Melbourne are looking to win the flag and they need all guns firing, particularly with a notable absence or two. Riddell will be All Australian in 2020.