Monique Conti

Leading into the 2020 season, womens.afl journalist Sarah Black named Conti at no. 13 on her list of the top 30 players in the AFLW. She made her Richmond debut in the club's inaugural game against Carlton at Ikon Park, and was named among Richmond's best players. Conti was named among Richmond's best players in all six matches, averaging a career-high 19.8 disposals per game, and was selected in womens.afl' s Team of the Week in round 4; in the round 4 match, Conti recorded five tackles and a career-high 28 disposals in the loss to Geelong. She went on to be selected in the initial 40-woman squad for the 2020 AFL Women's All-Australian team. Conti was also selected in the AFL Players Association's inaugural AFL Women's 22under22 team, having earlier been selected in the retrospective 2017–2019 team.

Conti improved on her debut season in 2019, achieving selection in womens.afl' s Team of the Week in round 7 after recording a then-career-high 25 disposals in the Bulldogs' loss to Carlton at VU Whitten Oval and finishing equal-fourth in the 2019 AFL Women's best and fairest count with seven votes. She was also named in the 2019 AFL Women's All-Australian team and won the Western Bulldogs best and fairest award.

In April 2019, Conti was traded to Richmond for the first selection in the 2019 AFL Women's draft and began playing for the club's VFL Women's team the following month. Conti went on to win the club's VFLW best and fairest award and finish second in voting for the Lambert–Pearce Medal, despite only playing seven games. By December, it became known that Conti could miss up to the first five games of Richmond's inaugural season in the AFLW due to the 2020 WNBL Finals clashing with the opening rounds of the 2020 AFL Women's season; however, in January 2020, Conti announced that she had requested to be released from her Melbourne Boomers contract to focus fully on playing in Richmond's inaugural AFLW season.

As an Australian rules footballer, Conti won an AFL Women's premiership with the Bulldogs in 2018, and was adjudged best afield in the grand final. She was also selected in the 2019 AFL Women's All-Australian team and won the Western Bulldogs best and fairest award in 2019 before moving to Richmond. Conti received a nomination for the 2018 AFL Women's Rising Star award in round 4 of the 2018 season.

Conti started playing basketball from the age of five, playing with the Melbourne Tigers for the entirety of her junior basketball years and in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) in 2017 and 2018. Prior to the creation of the AFL Women's, Conti had aspirations to play college basketball in the United States from a young age, and received offers from over thirty schools to play there at the age of 16, but instead committed to studying at Deakin University, which was aligned with the Melbourne Boomers, allowing her to continue her studies and to continue playing basketball at national level, along with football. She began studying a business degree there in 2018 while also part of its Elite Athlete program.

Conti was drafted by the Western Bulldogs with the club's second selection and fourth overall in the 2017 AFL Women's draft. She made her debut in the twenty-six point win against Fremantle in round 1, 2018 at VU Whitten Oval. In round 4, Conti received a nomination for the 2018 AFL Women's Rising Star award after recording 16 disposals in her side's win over Carlton, and went on to finish second in the voting for the award with 39 votes, 11 behind winner Chloe Molloy. She was also selected in afl.com.au' s Team of the Week in rounds 3 and 5. Conti was a member of the Western Bulldogs team that won the AFL Women's premiership in 2018, defeating Brisbane by six points at Ikon Park, and won the medal for best-on-ground in the grand final. She was also named in the initial 2018 AFL Women's All-Australian 40-woman squad. The Western Bulldogs signed Conti for the 2019 season during the trade and signing period in May 2018.

As a basketballer, Conti was a member of the Australian team that won the gold medal at the 2016 FIBA Under-17 World Championship for Women and was named in that year's All-Tournament Team. She also won the WNBL Rookie of the Year Award in her first WNBL season in 2017.

Conti started playing football from the age of ten, playing with boys at the Essendon Doutta Stars Football Club until the age of 14 and then in the Melbourne University under-18 youth girls team until the age of 17, making the Vic Metro and All-Australian teams in all three years playing at that level. In September 2016, Conti was one of 15 players from around Australia selected in level 2 of the inaugural AFL Women's academy. Conti played for the Calder Cannons in the TAC Cup Girls in 2017 alongside current AFL Women's players such as AFL Women's Rising Star winners Chloe Molloy and Madison Prespakis, and was coached by current player Alicia Eva. Earlier in the year, at a testing day prior to the five-round season, she ranked first among TAC Cup Girls players in both the 20-metre sprint and agility test. Conti also played for Melbourne University in the VFL Women's (VFLW) in 2017 before being drafted.

Conti will begin her professional career, in her home state of Victoria, with the Melbourne Boomers for the 2016–17 season. Conti also played in the youth all-stars AFL football, being awarded best on ground for her match on 4 September 2016.

Conti made her international debut at the 2016 U17 World Championship in Spain with the U17 Sapphires. Conti lead the Sapphires to their inaugural title in Spain. After snapping team USA's 28-game win streak at U17 level, Australia went on to take home Gold. Alongside two of her teammates, Conti was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Monique Conti (born 9 December 1999) is an Australian rules footballer and basketballer. Conti currently plays for the Richmond Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW), having previously played for the Western Bulldogs from 2018 to 2019. She also played for the Melbourne Boomers in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) from 2016 to 2020.