She was a pivotal figure in Inverell's march to the AFL North West women's minor premiership and a regular feature on the best and fairest list, so it would have come as little surprise when Gabrielle Mooney was named the league's best and fairest.
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In her first year playing in the competition, Mooney was a runaway winner, finishing seven points clear of Daisy George (Tamworth Swans) and Clare Cummings (New England Nomads) with a tally of 17 points.
"It wasn't looking good at the start but came away with the win," she told Leader field reporters Billy Jupp and Ben Jaffrey.
Accepting the award Mooney, said it wasn't about her, it was about the team and paid credit to her Saints team-mates.
"I'm new this year. I've come from Brisbane so to have a group of girls around you just really get around you is amazing," she said.
"It's not an individual sport ... all these awards mean this and that but at the end of the day if it's not a team game you're not going to get the win."
An occupational therapist by trade, Mooney moved to Inverell to take up a rural generalist gig.
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She brought with her the experience of about a decade playing "on and off".
The Saints finished the regular season undefeated, and on the eve of the finals Mooney said she is feeling "pretty confident".
"I think we've played a really good brand of footy all the way through the year and we're confident with that," she said.
"It's going to be tough going into finals, everyone's going to bring a different game but if we stick to our game and our brand of footy we should come out with the win."
They will take on the Tamworth Kangaroos in the major semi-final, while the Tamworth Swans will play the New England Nomads in the minor semi.
In the other women's awards, Mooney's Saints team-mates Clare McCosker was the leading goalkicker with 29. Mooney was second with 24. George took home the Sports TG coaches award while Tamworth Swans' Lara Taggart was named the Rising Star.
