The 23-year-old, who was pick 80 in her draft year in 2019, produced a brilliant season for the Cats, and was rewarded with 71 votes in the best and fairest count, basically doubling her nearest rival.

The Cats won just the one game for the year, a last round 17-point win over the Gold Coast, but McDonald insists the club is on the right path having blooded a host of juniors.

"It was a tough year looking at the results of the wins and losses," she said. "But there was still a lot of growth within the group, every year and every game we are building towards something.

"It was really nice to finish with a win on the board, it paves a really nice pathway to 2022.

"We did start to play more consistently and how we wanted to play towards the end of the season."

McDonald said she was personally thrilled with her season.

"I was really happy with how I performed this year," she said. "There was a lot of growth and learning in the off-season, the hard work has paid off and I'm looking forward to learning more."

In her second AFLW season, McDonald played all nine games, averaging 20 disposals and seven tackles.

Geelong AFLW coach Paul Hood congratulated McDonald on her outstanding season.

"Amy worked really hard throughout winter last year to improve her skills and fitness. Her outstanding training ethic has played a big part in getting her to where she is today," Hood said.

"Her confidence has grown significantly over the course of her two seasons of AFLW and she now has the belief in her ability to influence games.

"Amy is tenacious in her attack on the football; her great tackle pressure sees her win the ball. She is improving rapidly."