Adelaide Crows co-captain Erin Phillips wins top gong after a stellar first AFLW season

Adelaide Crows premiership co-captain Erin Phillips has capped off her impressive AFLW season by being voted as the AFLW players’ most valuable player.

Phillips won the award, which is voted on by fellow players, with 204 votes, ahead of Melbourne midfielder Karen Paxman (149 votes) and the league’s leading goal-kicker, Carlton’s Darcy Vescio (132).

The 31-year-old has previously forged a successful career in basketball, and was part of the Australian silver medal winning team at the Beijing Olympics.

She will return to her basketball duties in the United States with the WNBA’s Dallas Wings in the coming weeks.

Phillips, the daughter of Port Adelaide champion Greg Phillips, said that playing in the inaugural competition was a highlight of her career.

“I’m incredibly humbled to have won this award. To be recognised by your peers is something all athletes hold in high esteem and this is something I will hold very close to my heart for a long time,” she said.

“I’m so proud of what we, as AFLW players, have been able to achieve over the past eight weeks and look forward to what the future holds for all of us as players.”

Phillips’ fellow co-captain, Chelsea Randall, was also recognised at the awards ceremony, with the utility taking out the AFLW players’ most courageous award.

Melbourne captain Daisy Pearce (63 votes) took home the AFLW players’ best captain award.

Pearce, who was one of the better-known players coming into the season described Phillips’ transition to the sport as “scary” and was amazed at how easy she took to the game.

“Erin’s a wonderful athlete there’s only so much running around in elite basketball should prepare you for, she quickly showed that she’s very capable and got better as the season went on,” she said.

“I was just really impressed with her body presence and marking ability they’re things you can’t learn on a basketball court, so it’s pretty amazing.”

Call for AFLW finals series

Pearce and Phillips deemed the first season to be a success but both are keen for the competition to be expanded with a final series added to the season’s fixture.

“I’d love a final series, for the competition as a whole,” Pearce said.

“In the format this year by round three there were teams this year that couldn’t make it so it would make for a more exciting and entertaining competition.”

The inaugural AFLW best and fairest award will be held tomorrow night.

This post originally appeared on ABC News.