Former Gold Coast Sun Dee Heslop will be reunited with her history-making Queensland Under 18 teammates at the Brisbane Lions, drafted by the Club at Pick 57 in Wednesday evening’s 2022 NAB AFLW Draft.

Part of the first ever Queensland U18 side to defeat Victoria Metro in the 2018 NAB AFLW U18 Championships, Heslop will be reunited with former Queensland Coach Craig Starcevich, as well as teammates Nat Grider, Belle Dawes, Lily Postlethwaite, Zimmorlei Farquharson, Taylor Smith, Jade Ellenger, and Jesse Wardlaw.

The 20-year-old was drafted by the Suns at Pick 69 in their inaugural 2020 season, going on to play 23 games before she was delisted at the end of the 2022 season.

With the ability to float in the backline or drift forward to take on the game in the midfield, Heslop will bring another layer of depth and versatility to the Lions’ squad.

“Dee is a medium sized defender/midfielder and is someone I’ve known for a number of years having coached her through her Queensland Under 18 years,” Head Coach Craig Starcevich said.

“She’s always shown a great appetite for the physical side of the game winning plenty of inside ball, but is also a very good overhead mark for her size and great distributor of the ball by foot.

“She’s had three seasons in the AFLW and has shown glimpses of these traits. We’re excited to see how far she can take her game in our program.”