MELBOURNE has honoured its year in the AFLW, looking back on the season that was and crowning its Daisy Pearce Trophy winner. 

Throughout the evening, six awards were handed out, with a number of Demons celebrated for making an impact in 2025.

Stay tuned for all the award winners.

Kate Hore | Daisy Pearce Trophy | 117 votes  
At the conclusion of the count, Melbourne skipper Hore was crowned the winner of the 2025 Daisy Pearce Trophy, making club history as the club’s most decorated AFLW player with four best and fairests to her name.

This is the fourth consecutive season that Hore has finished atop the leaderboard, having taken out the award in 2022, 2023 and 2024. In recent years, the established forward began her journey up the ground and now plays an important role in the red and blue as a powerful midfield-forward.

She mastered her dual role this season, kicking 24 goals from 15 matches, the third highest tally across the league and became the second player to reach 100 career goals. She also averaged the most disposals of her career at 21 touches per game. As skipper, she helped lead her side to a preliminary final and became a four-time All-Australian at the end of the season.

Tyla Hanks | Runner-up | 108 votes
Hanks has finished second in the Daisy Pearce Trophy count with 108 votes. This is the second consecutive year that the midfielder has finished in the top two, having won the award on two occasion prior.

Hanks’ 2025 saw her put together one of her most consistent campaigns in her career, her reliability becoming the key to her game. Known for her sharp skills, the 25-year-old used this asset to excel both as a tough inside mid and a silky mover outside the contest.

She hit career-high numbers across the board averaging 23 disposals, seven tackles and 4.5 inside 50s. She capped off her year with a maiden All Australian selection and finished third in the league’s best and fairest count.

Eliza McNamara | Third place | 88 votes
McNamara has finished third in Melbourne’s 2025 best and fairest count, her highest career finish since first arriving at the Dees in 2020.

The gut-running winger has seen a steady rise to her career since first arriving at the Dees in 2020. Continuing to add more to her game with each season, this year saw her develop her strength at the contest, while further excelling in her endurance and skill. She averaged 22 disposals and five intercepts.

She thrived in her new role as part of the leadership group, driving standards and growing her leadership skills at just 23 years old.

Coaches' Award | Tahlia Gillard 
It was a tough start to the season for Gillard who was sidelined for the first five matches due to a knee injury. However, once the tall defender had her opportunity to make a mark on-field, she embraced it wholeheartedly, earning her the 2025 Coaches’ Award.

Returning to her best footy in no-time, Gillard was a pillar of strength in Melbourne’s backline. Across her 10 matches for the year, she averaged a career-high seven intercepts and 13 disposals, out-marking many of the league’s best forwards.

Despite her height, standing at 190cm tall, she became known for her rundown tackles this season, her most notable tackle coming in the dying minutes of her side’s semi-final win over Adelaide. It was a moment that will be forever etched in the minds of many Dees fans.

Best Young Player | Maggie Mahony
Mahony arrived at the Dees just 12 months ago and has quickly made an impact in the red and blue, named as this year’s Best Young Player. Making her debut during Round 1, the gritty small forward has gone from strength-to-strength with every opportunity at the top level.

Playing an important role inside 50, Mahony has become valued across the season internally for her never-give-up attitude. Her talents truly hit the main stage during finals, where her hard work culminated in standout displays across November.

Demon Spirit Award | Megan Fitzsimon
The Demon Spirit Award is given to the player that demonstrates the club’s values both on and off the field and no one epitomised this more in 2025 than Megan Fitzsimon.

This is the second consecutive year that Fitzsimon has taken out the award, a clear example of the kind of impact the 23-year-old has on the club. While she has consistently shown her value as a teammate off the field, this year in particular saw her reach new levels to her on-field Demon Spirit.

Taking on more midfield minutes, Fitzsimon embraced this new challenge, hitting career-high numbers on the stats sheet while remaining as her cool, calm and collected self. She averaged 17 disposals, six tackles, four score involvements and tallied a total of five goals.