Ava Usher suspended, ineligible for Rising Star Award

Gold Coast's Ava Usher has failed to overturn a one-match suspension for rough conduct at the AFLW Tribunal. As a result, she will miss the Suns' final home and away match against Greater Western Sydney and is no longer eligible for the 2026 Telstra AFLW Rising Star award. The suspension stems from a collision with Richmond's Bec Miller during a match earlier this month. Despite the Suns arguing the contact was unintentional and should be graded as low impact, the tribunal upheld the medium impact classification. This ruling removes Usher from a competitive field of Rising Star candidates.

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