COURAGEOUS midfielder Katie Loynes and the Club’s Rising Star nominee Breann Moody have been crowned joint winners of Carlton’s 2018 AFLW Best and Fairest award.

More than 350 guests packed Luminare in South Melbourne to witness the close count, with the winning pair polling 42 votes each, narrowly edging out key forward Tayla Harris who finished on 41 votes.

Standing at 180cm tall, Moody was recruited from Cranbourne with pick No. 67 in the 2016 NAB AFLW National Draft and was named the Club’s Most Improved Player at last year’s inaugural Best and Fairest count.

The 21-year-old continued her development this season, taking the responsibility of senior ruck duties throughout the year. She was recognised with a Rising Star nomination in Round 5 for her standout game against Adelaide at Norwood Oval, gathering 29 hit-outs, 11 disposals and five clearances.

Tough-as-nails midfielder Katie Loynes was Carlton’s most consistent performer in the midfield.

In Round 7 the childhood Bluebagger racked up 14 disposals and kicked a goal, while constantly extracting the ball from the bottom of the pack. Taken with pick No. 110 in the 2016 AFLW National Draft, Loynes was nominated for the AFL Players’ MVP Award, as well as the Most Courageous Award.

Head of Football Andrew McKay praised the pair’s on-field efforts this season.

“Katie and Bre worked tirelessly in every game they played and they should both be really proud of their performances,” McKay said.

“Bre continues to grow as a player, not only with her tap work in the ruck, but also her second and third efforts around the ground – she has a desire to keep developing as a player and that’s a great quality to have.

“Katie is a true competitor and you know what you’re going to get when she takes to the field each week. She chases, tackles, defends and gets herself in the right positions. Both players are worthy joint winners of the Best and Fairest this season.”

In a testament to her tremendous season, Loynes’ contribution to the team also extended beyond the playing field – accepting the ‘Blue Bloods’ award.

Presented to the player that has made a significant contribution to the Carlton Football Club, the 32-year-old was acknowledged for her dedication to upholding the Club’s values consistently throughout the season.

Meanwhile, 21-year-old Maddison Gay was named the Club’s Best First Year Player. Recruited as a rookie in 2017 after crossing codes from netball, Gay was elevated to the senior list and averaged nearly 10 disposals this season.

Carlton’s 2018 Best and Fairest top 10:

42 Katie Loynes

42 Breann Moody

41 Tayla Harris

32 Kerryn Harrington

31 Nicola Stevens

29 Sarah Hosking

27 Maddison Gay

25 Shae Audley

24 Darcy Vescio

24 Danielle Hardiman

Carlton AFLW Best and Fairest Voting Procedure:

Four coaches (senior coach and three line coaches) have the opportunity to vote for as many players as they feel warrant a vote for each game on the following scale:

4 votes – outstanding performance

3 votes – excellent performance

2 votes – above expectation performance

1 vote – expected performance (trademark game)

A player therefore can receive a maximum of four votes from four coaches giving a maximum of 16 possible votes each round.