Gold Coast SUNS midfielder Charlie Rowbottom has been voted by her peers as the AFL Players Association’s Best First Year Player for 2022.
The award, presented by KPMG, was voted on by players in the AFLW competition and recognises the best player in the first year of their career through the players’ eyes.
It caps off an outstanding debut season in the AFLW for Rowbottom, who finished with the highest average disposals of any first-year player this year with 16 per game.
The 19-year-old made her AFLW debut in Round 1 and played all 10 games for the Gold Coast SUNS as a permanent fixture in the midfield.
Her consistency also saw her finish in the top 15 players for total tackles in the league.
Rowbottom finished second in the official NAB AFLW Rising Star voting, just one vote shy of sharing the honour in 2022.
She was nominated for the Rising Star in Round 2 after a performance against West Coast which included 17 disposals (12 contested), 12 tackles and six inside 50’s.
Her best performance came the against the Western Bulldogs where Rowbottom accumulated a season-high 25 disposals (19 contested), six clearances and seven tackles.
