By Tara Murray
While she wasn’t able to taste the ultimate success of a premiership in her first AFLW season, Sunbury’s Madison Prespakis has been honoured for her stunning debut season.
On Tuesday night, the 18-year-old was named the NAB AFLW rising star winner finishing on 49 votes, 10 clear of Greater Western Sydney’s Alyce Parker.
She was also named in the All-Australian team, alongside former Calder Cannons team mate and good mate Monique Conti.
Speaking after receiving the award, Prespakis said it was pretty cool to win such an honour. She follows in the footsteps of another Cannon Chloe Molloy, who won the award last year.
“I’m pretty honoured and humble to have won it,” she said on stage.
“There was 13 other girls who were well worthy to win it. It’s another accolade for the hard work. I strive on my hard work and I’ve had a lot of people help me along this way, very honoured to have won it.”
Prespakis said making her debut was the best day in her life, while kicking her first goal and playing in the grand final were also big highlights .
“I’ve always dreamt of [playing AFLW] since I started playing when I was four, [so] debuting was one of the biggest things ever.
“I can’t go past not only kicking my first AFLW goal and but playing in front of 53,00 people on the weekend against the Adelaide Crows… I looked around and was like holey moley.
“Despite the loss, it was one of the best experiences of my life. We went down to a better team on the day, it was heartbreaking on the day, but congratulations to them”
It comes after Prespakis was also named the AFLW players best first year player and sixth in the AFLW coaches champion player of the year behind Erin Phillips.
Prespakis averaged just under 20 possessions a game, third in the league, while also kicking six goals.
