Nobody needed reminding that Aishling Moloney is one of the most exciting players to watch in the AFLW competition, but her standing as one of the game's most damaging forwards has taken another big leap in 2026. 

There have been remarkable storylines inside Geelong's forward 50 this year, such as Jackie Parry's impressive season in front of the big sticks and Chloe Scheer's triumphant return to the elite level. 

But underpinning all of the Cats' success so far this year has been the outstanding influence of Aishling Moloney, not just through her own scoreboard impact, but the ability to create opportunities for teammates. 

In her fourth AFLW season, Moloney continued to make her presence felt in front of the big sticks with a total of 17 goals, matching her tally from last year and only four off her total from the 2024 campaign, when she shared the honours in the competition's goal-kicking award. 

GEELONG, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 24: Aishling Moloney of the Cats (left) celebrates on the final siren with Kate Kenny of the Cats during the 2026 AFLW Round 11 match between the Geelong Cats and the Fremantle Dockers at GMHBA Stadium on October 24, 2026 in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Adam Trafford/AFL Photos)

Across 48 career games to date, the Irish star is averaging more than a goal per game and continued to show this year that she is capable of tearing games apart, particularly with a pair of four-goal hauls which came against Essendon and the GWS Giants. 

But perhaps the greatest statistic to come from Moloney's 2026 home-and-away campaign was that she eclipsed the previous record for goal assists in a single season. 

She not only beat the previous record, Moloney completely obliterated it. 

Coming into 2026, North Melbourne's Tahlia Randall held the record for the most goal assists in a single season with 12, which also included the Kangaroos' Finals campaign. 

At the conclusion of the home-and-away season, with Finals still to come, Moloney already has 18 goal assists. 

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To put it into context, Geelong kicked a total of 127 goals across the 2026 regular season and Moloney had a direct hand in 35 of them, a remarkable rate of 28%.

The star forward also finished the home-and-away season with a total of 87 score involvements, ranked sixth in the AFLW for marks inside 50, and ranked third at Geelong for inside 50s. 

She was also able to set a new career-high for disposals with 25, which came in the Round 9 clash with the GWS Giants, where she also kicked four goals. 

To sum it all up, Moloney continues to be one of the competition's most dangerous and exciting players, and will be crucial to Geelong's premiership aspirations heading into Finals.Â