Orla O’Dwyer was a silver lining in a tough day on Sunday as she took out Round 1 MVP honours in the eyes of Lions fans.

Last weekend’s clash saw the 23-year-old enjoy a career-high outing, notching up her best disposal, marks and tackle count to date.

The Irish native racked up 21 disposals, 7 tackles, 7 marks and a whopping 106 fantasy points in a best-on-ground performance for the Lions.

For more Orla stats, click HERE

However, the third-year players development has come as no surprise to Head Coach, Craig Starcevich.

“Orla’s come back from her second lot of quarantine in two years, and you’d think that would impact her and it hasn’t.

“She’s a gifted athlete, is very determined and surrounds herself with great people. She latched onto our stronger trainers over the break and is fast becoming the benchmark for our girls which is fantastic.”

O’Dwyer was a talented Gaelic and Camogie player before making the jump to AFL in 2020, and while her athleticism was never questioned, the speed of her development is one that’s surprised Starcevich.

“She’s always had that athletic base and is a left footer which has probably helped in the transition,” he said.

“Camogie is certainly quite a physical game and Gaelic would’ve aided in developing that footy knowledge. She’s still learning the nuances of our game but she’s really building and becoming comfortable with the oval footy which is great.”