The future of All Australian midfielder Jacqueline Yorston in the AFL Women’s competition was almost over before it had even begun.

Yorston was considered among the most promising prospects emerging from the Queensland talent pool but was forced to wait until the dying stages of the draft to even find out her fate in the competition.

Taken with one of the Brisbane Lions’ two draft compensation selections that were awarded to the club following the exodus of players to expansion clubs in the offseason, Yorston’s destiny was announced at the conclusion of the actual draft and just minutes before the broadcast ended.

“After Jesse [Wardlaw] got called out, I thought that was all of our draft picks. I thought I had missed it,” Yorston told aflq.com.au.

Wardlaw was the Lions’ final pick in the draft, taken with Pick No. 61 and seemingly announced the end of Brisbane’s involvement.

But just as all had seemed lost, current Lions AFLW player Nat Exon entered the stage and announced the Club's two draft compensations.

“Dad said to wait and finally I got called out. I had a bit of a cry,” she said.

“I was sitting there awkwardly. I thought I was done and would have to have a crack next year.

“When she called it out I just put my head in my hands and thought no way did that just happen. My two best friends were sitting next to me and they just screamed. Nothing could beat it.”

After a successful season which included a starring performance for Queensland across the national championships and a premiership with QAFLW outfit Wilston Grange, Yorston was invited to the NAB AFLW Draft Combine in October as one of only three Queenslanders to do so.

Yorston was one of two names announced at the end of the draft alongside defender Jade Ellenger who too admitted the prospect of getting drafted to the Lions seemed like a distant reality after the draft’s final pick.

“I was absolutely shocked. To hear my name read out in the last ten seconds was just, wow. I was about to turn the draft stream off,” Ellenger said.

The pair are proud to have claimed their spot in the Brisbane Lions and Yorston is already looking ahead to Round 1 of the 2019 season.

“I want to play in round one. It’s a bit of a stretch but I’ll give it my all,” she said.