She may have missed a year after the Dubbo Demons senior women side was shuttered leading into 2019, but Emily Warner certainly proved she hasn't missed a step when she took out the top individual award in the AFL Central West competition.
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Warner, who led the Demons to a premiership in 2018 before circumstances forced the womens side out of the competition in 2019, said it was 'very nice' to be in the running for the award.
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"I think the competition has come so far since I started playing in it in 2017, there's some pretty handy players showing up across the competition and even here in the demons, so it's a very nice surprise to win, certainly," Warner said.
Warner, along with Bathurst Bushrangers Beth Durham, received 13 votes in the award stakes, and was grateful to be ranked alongside one of the competition's best in Durham.
"I've never actually played against her before, I remember our first game against them this year, quite a lot of our girls were talking about her and as soon as the ball went up you could definitely see why," Warner said.
"She's had a great season, so it's nice to be ranked alongside her."
I think the competition has come so far since I first started playing in it in 2017.
- Emily Warner
"It's something we've talked about already, but it was a whole new look team at the start of the year, so to be able to get where we have been, with a really tough, minimal pre-season, is incredible," Warner said.
"To have such a new group of girls and to put all that together in the short space of time and have everyone gel, it was a pretty amazing effort."
Warner said she hopes that her example, and the results of the women this season, will encourage more potential players to step forward.
"I think it's probably been good for a couple of those girls in town who might have been worried about coming to training, it's such a good group and the coaches have done such a wonderful job at taking on the new girls and teaching them the skills," Warner said.
Warner was quick to praise not only the women players, but also the coaches and the club as a whole for helping lift the season and deliver the results that helped paved the way for her nomination in the awards.
"This year the whole club atmosphere has been lifted, it makes it the sort of club and team you want to be spending time with, it's just that extra bit of motivation, it's such a big part of it."
"Our three coaches have done a wonderful job, they've been fantastic this year, all the girls in them have made it a really nice environment, there's so many new players and new mates."
"It just makes for a really special sort of team."
