SANFLW Top 5 in 2025 – Forwards

17 November 2025

By ALEXANDRA BULL

The best Hostplus SANFLW League performers in 2025 are being unveiled through the SANFLW Top 5 in 2025 rankings.

Form across the 2025 season was used as the chief factor in the ranking process, with selection in The Advertiser SANFLW Team of the Year and the SANFLW state team weighing heavily, together with placings in the SANFLW Best and Fairest, Club best-and-fairest awards, SA Under 18 performances and awards, and strong performances in finals matches.

High rankings in statistics such as total disposals, marks, contested marks, goals, clearances and tackles were also taken into account, along with Champion Data ranking points.

Find out who the most influential forwards were in 2025.

It was heartbreak for the Panthers forward who ruptured her ACL in the Preliminary Final against Sturt this year, however Shae Archbold was an undisputed star for South Adelaide in season 2025.

Finishing third in the leading kickers in the SANFLW with 23 goals for the season, Archbold had a huge influence on her side’s season, including three goals in a dominating Preliminary Final win against Sturt.

Whilst she didn’t play in the flag decider this year, Archbold’s significant influence across South’s premiership season warrants her a spot on this list.

She may not have the plethora of goals like the others on this list, but this Eagles rising star is a natural fit up forward.

Powerade Breakthrough Player of the Year, SA U18 Girls Captain, U18 Girls All-Australian and named in The Advertiser 2025 SANFLW Team of the Year – the accolades kept coming for Imogen Trengove.

Trengove played 13 of a possible 16 matches for the Eagles SANFLW side, averaging 16.2 disposals, 4.9 tackles, 3.9 inside 50s and kicking 10 goals in her breakout season – we may be seeing her in an AFLW guernsey very soon.

She’s traded the red and blue for yellow and black in 2026, but Kiana Lee was as damaging as ever for the Redlegs in 2025.

The goal sneak finished fourth in the leading goal kicker award this season with 19 majors to her name, kicking multiple hauls of two throughout the season, as well as a bag of four in Round 5.

Lee was named in The Advertiser 2025 SANFLW Team of the Year and played in both SANFLW state games, hitting the scoreboard in both matches for the Croweaters.

When Klaudia O’Neill is firing, the Eagles are pretty much unbeatable.

In every game where O’Neill kicked a goal, the Eagles won. In every game she didn’t hit the scoreboard, the Eagles fell short.

With multiple hauls of two goals, and a bag of four in Round 14 and six in Round 7, her influence on the ground is something to behold.

She kicked 24 goals this season, second behind Central’s Katelyn Rosenzweig and was named in the SANFLW State team against the VFLW earlier this year.

Katelyn Rosenzweig is a force to be reckoned with up forward. 

She was the competition’s leading goal kicker and kicked 27 goals in season 2025, Rosenzweig is no doubt the best forward in the SANFLW.

Rosenzweig finished equal second in Central District’s Best and Fairest this year and was named in The Advertiser SANFLW Team of the Year for the fifth time. She is arguably the best forward the SANFLW competition has ever seen.