Dominant Southern Saints midfield duo Rhiannon Watt and Ali Drennan have capped off their remarkable debut season together by taking out the VFLW side’s inaugural Best and Fairest.

Tied at 123 votes apiece, the pair couldn’t be separated after both enjoyed standout years in their first seasons in red, white and black.

Watt, an ex-Australian volleyballer, has proven herself one of the league’s most dominant rucks and was instrumental in several victories for Peta Searle’s side this year.

The 30-year-old’s prowess in the air and rucking ability was shown on numerous occasions, her dominance out of the centre acting as the Saints’ springboard to launch into attack.

READ: Drennan drives Southern Saints

Just as vital to the Southern Saints’ midfield supremacy was Drennan, whose unparalleled athleticism and explosiveness from contest was a major highlight in 2018.

The ex-College basketballer became one of the best contested-ball winners in the league, stamping her name on the competition with a best-on-ground 35 disposals in the Saints’ 30-point win over the Seagulls in Round 2.


Winners Rhiannon Watt (L) and Ali Drennan (R) proved a dominant duo for the Southern Saints.

Contested bull Samantha Johnson was named runner-up after the 26-year-old was crucial in the Saints’ engine room, her physicality complementing the explosiveness of Drennan and the aerial dominance of Watt.

READ: VFLW Season Review

Leah Olsen and Alison Brown rounded out the top five, with 86 and 85 votes respectively, and can be extremely proud of their seasons.

2018 Southern Saints Best & Fairest Top 10

  1. Rhiannon Watt 123
  2. Alison Drennan 123
  3. Samantha Johnson 89
  4. Leah Olsen 86
  5. Alison Brown 85
  6. Kayla Ripari 79
  7. Selena Karlson 64
  8. Tara Bohanna 59
  9. Eleanor Brown 55
  10. Courteney Munn 51