Emily Bates

Emily Bates
Bates playing for Brisbane in 2017
Personal information
Full name Emily Bates
Date of birth (1995-10-18) 18 October 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth Bacchus Marsh, Victoria[1]
Original team(s) Yeronga South Brisbane (QAFLW)
Draft No. 2, 2016 national draft
Debut Round 1, 2017, Brisbane vs. Melbourne, at Casey Fields
Height 169 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current club Hawthorn
Number 1
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2017–2022 (S7) Brisbane 66 (9)
2023– Hawthorn 22 (6)
Total 88 (15)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
2017 The Allies 1 (0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2024 season.
2 State and international statistics correct as of 2017.
Career highlights
Source: AustralianFootball.com

Emily Bates (born 18 October 1995) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Hawthorn Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She previously played for the Brisbane Lions from 2017 to season 7. Bates was selected by the Western Bulldogs in the inaugural national women's draft in 2013, and represented them in the first three years of the exhibition games staged prior to the creation of the league. She represented Brisbane in 2016, the last year that the games were held, and was drafted by the club with the second selection in the 2016 AFL Women's draft prior to the inaugural AFL Women's season.

Bates won an AFL Women's premiership with Brisbane in 2021 and was awarded the league's highest individual accolade, the AFL Women's best and fairest, in season 6. She is also a three-time AFL Women's All-Australian, four-time Brisbane best and fairest winner and won the Hawthorn best and fairest award in 2023. Bates has served as Hawthorn captain since 2024.

Early life

Bates was born in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria[1][2] as one of three sisters. At the age of three, her family relocated to Brisbane.[3] Her father Lloyd went on to be a key figure in Queensland football, and encouraged Bates to play football at Yeronga Football Club, where he coached.[4] Through him she grew up with a football in her hand and when a girls' team started up in 2011, she joined as a junior with her father as team coach with the two winning the under 15 junior premiership. Lloyd passed of cardiac arrest when she was 15 and the medal awarded to the best and fairest player in Yeronga’s QAFLW team is named in his honour.[5][6] She was educated at Brigidine College, Indooroopilly.[citation needed]

In 2011 and 2012 she represented Queensland at under-18 level in both cricket and Australian rules football (as captain), but she ultimately chose Australian rules football over a cricket career.[7][8]

Bates was selected by the Western Bulldogs with the forty-fourth selection in the inaugural national women's draft in 2013, and represented them in the first three years of the exhibition games staged prior to the creation of the league. [citation needed]

She won the Best & Fairest in the QWAFL in 2016.[citation needed]

AFL Women's career

Bates was taken with the number two pick, Brisbane's first, in the 2016 AFL Women's draft.[2] She was announced as one of the "values leaders" to assist captain Emma Zielke alongside Sabrina Frederick-Traub, Leah Kaslar and Sam Virgo in January 2017.[9] She made her debut in the Lions' inaugural game against Melbourne at Casey Fields in the opening round of the 2017 AFL Women's season.[10]

Bates was nominated by her teammates for the 2017 AFLW Players’ Most Valuable Player Award, was named Brisbane's best and fairest and was also listed in the All-Australian team.[11][12][13]

Brisbane signed Bates for the 2018 season during the trade period in May 2017. [14]

Brisbane signed Bates for the 2020 season during the trade and sign period in April 2019.[15]

Bates signed on with Brisbane for 2 more years on 15 June 2021.[16]

In 2022 season 6, Bates elevated her game to new heights and averaged nearly 22 disposals and six tackles a game, becoming the Lions' best player. She polled 21 votes in the best and fairest count and became the club's first league best and fairest recipient, the highest individual accolade in the sport.[17] She also earned the Coaches Association Champion Player of the Year award and the Players Association Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, which made her the second player in the competition's history to win all three individual end-of-season awards.[18][19]

Leading into the 2023 season, Sarah Black named Bates at no. 10 on her annual list of the top 30 players in the AFLW.[20]

Leading into the 2024 season, Bates was announced as Hawthorn's new captain, replacing Tilly Lucas-Rodd.[21] Bates was named among Hawthorn's best players in its win over Carlton in week 1[22] but was a late withdrawal from Hawthorn's win over Collingwood in week 2, missing an AFLW match for the first time in her career.[23] She returned against Adelaide in week 3 and was named among Hawthorn's best players.[24]

Statistics

Updated to the end of the 2024 season.[25]

Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
  #  
 Played in that season's 
premiership team
  †  
 Led the league for 
the season
  ±  
 Won that season's 
AFLW B&F
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2017 Brisbane 1 8 1 1 84 41 125 21 38 0.1 0.1 10.5 5.1 15.6 2.6 4.8 4
2018 Brisbane 1 8 0 0 73 66† 139 18 37 0.0 0.0 9.1 8.3† 17.4 2.3 4.6 4
2019 Brisbane 1 7 0 1 62 54 116 15 29 0.0 0.2 8.9 7.7 16.6 2.1 4.1 1
2020 Brisbane 1 7 1 1 80 59 139 23 24 0.1 0.1 11.4 8.4 19.9 3.3 3.4 4
2021# Brisbane 1 11 1 1 96 79 175 26 43 0.1 0.1 8.7 7.2 15.9 2.4 3.9 6
2022 (S6) Brisbane 1 12 3 2 142 114 256 25 85 0.3 0.2 11.8 9.5 21.3 2.1 7.1 21±
2022 (S7) Brisbane 1 13 3 2 131 105 236 29 85 0.2 0.2 10.1 8.1 18.2 2.2 6.5 8
2023 Hawthorn 39 10 1 3 104 104 208 18 97 0.1 0.3 10.4 10.4 20.8 1.8 9.7 5
2024 Hawthorn 1 12 5 4 126 126 252 30 85 0.4 0.3 10.5 10.5 21.0 2.5 7.1 17
Career 88 15 15 888 748 1646 205 523 0.2 0.2 10.2 8.5 18.7 2.3 5.9 70

Honours and achievements

Team

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b Introducing the Newest Brisbane Lions Players from Brisbane Lions 12 October, 2016
  2. ^ a b Hamilton, Andrew (14 October 2016). "Emily Bates says being drafted by Brisbane is a dream come true". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  3. ^ [Brisbane’s Emily Bates playing for her dad in AFLW Grand Final after major influence on her career https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/afl/aflw/brisbanes-emily-bates-playing-for-her-dad-in-aflw-grand-final-after-major-influence-on-her-career/news-story/f288cc17861c55dbf067e929503580e1] by Andrew Hamilton for the Courier Mail 25 March 2017
  4. ^ "Emily Bates' Letter to Fans".
  5. ^ Emily Bates: Yeronga through and through from AFLW 23 November 2019
  6. ^ [Women’s Bates on the rise https://www.aflq.com.au/womens-bates-on-the-rise/] from AFL Queensland 27 June 2013
  7. ^ Newman, Beth (27 June 2013). "Women's Bates on the rise". AFL Queensland. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  8. ^ "Dual Honours for Yeronga Duo | AFL Queensland".
  9. ^ "Emma Zielke named as Brisbane Lions' inaugural AFLW Captain". Brisbane Lions. 5 January 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  10. ^ "AFLW 2017 round one: Melbourne Demons v Brisbane Lions". Herald Sun. 5 February 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  11. ^ "AFLW MVP Nominations Revealed". AFL Players Association. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  12. ^ "Emily Bates takes out inaugural Brisbane Lions Best & Fairest". Lions.com.au. Bigpond. 31 March 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  13. ^ Navaratnam, Dinny (28 March 2017). "Lions, Crows dominate AFLW All Australian team - AFL.com.au". AFL.com.au. BigPond. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  14. ^ "AFLW: All the clubs' full lists after trade period - AFL.com.au". afl.com.au. Telstra Media. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  15. ^ Black, Sarah (10 April 2019). "Eagles pinch star Dockers mid, Dees and Freo re-sign 18 each". womens.afl. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  16. ^ "Stars Sign and the Future Looks Bright". Lions Media. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  17. ^ Lachlan Abbott (5 April 2022). "Lion Bates soars late to the W Award, Kearney named in All-Australian side". The Age.
  18. ^ Gemma Bastiani (17 March 2022). "Lion Queen: Gun midfielder claims coaches' award, tie for second". womens.afl.
  19. ^ Kate O'Halloran (6 April 2022). "Emily Bates voted AFLW player of the year at AFLPA awards, as Daisy Pearce, Kirsty Lamb, Charlie Rowbottom also recognised". ABC News.
  20. ^ Black, Sarah (21 August 2023). "Sarah Black's top 30: Ten best players revealed". afl.com.au. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  21. ^ "Bates to captain Hawks in 2024". Hawthorn Football Club. 25 July 2024. Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  22. ^ Bastiani, Gemma (1 September 2024). "Irish pair, recruits lead charge as hot Hawks blow Blues away". afl.com.au. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  23. ^ Black, Sarah (7 September 2024). "Hawks smash Pies, but left counting injury toll". afl.com.au. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  24. ^ Oates, Tayla (15 September 2024). "Ponter's record haul helps Crows bring Hawks back down to earth". afl.com.au. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  25. ^ "Emily Bates – player stats by season". Australian Football. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
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