The Brisbane Lions today selected 18 players at the inaugural NAB AFL Women’s Draft.
Speaking after the event Brisbane Lions AFL Women's Team Coach Craig Starcevich said that he was very happy with the outcome of the Draft and the players the Club was able to pick up.
“(We’re) very happy with how it went, we’ve been planning it for a while,” Starcevich said.
The Lions chose Yeronga South Brisbane WFC midfielder Emily Bates with the number 2 selection.
Bates is a prolific ball winner, Starcevich says has leadership skills beyond her years.
"Bates is one of the few Queenslanders who has played in all five of the exhibition games over the past four years," he said.
"She's a very prominent Club player and has been our representative player of the year for the past couple of years.
"She’s going to bring leadership to the table. Even though she’s only 21 now, i think down the track you’ll probably find her as being a leader of the Lions in some capacity in the future."
Starcevich said that it's hard to see how this list will compare to our opponents until we start playing, but was happy that they were able to top the team up in areas they needed to.
"We’ve topped up on areas that we needed to… We obviously marqueed a couple of very good tall key position players and the next trick was to bolster our defence, add to our midfield and make sure we can maximise our chances when we go inside forward 50," he said.
"We’ve topped up where we needed to from interstate, but a majority of our list is local Queensland talent."
The team will get together tomorrow night for a social gathering, but will not start training together until November 21st.
The Brisbane Lions will now have two weeks to confirm their three Free Agents.
We'd like to introduce you to the newest Brisbane Lions Players:
Pick 2:
Age: 23
Position: Midfield
Recruited from: Yeronga South Brisbane WFC
Occupation: Activities Assistant at Griffith University / Studying (Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science)
Place of birth: Bacchus Marsh, Victoria
Taken with the number 2 pick in the AFL Women’s Draft, Emily Bates is a very valuable player who can be either a hard running midfielder or halfback. Possessing a good left kick, Bates is elite overhead for her size and is also effective getting her hands on ball and breaking lines with her run and carry. Bates provides a lot of energy around the team and will bring leadership qualities. Bates was the Captain of the Queensland Youth Under 18 side for three years in a row, first captaining at the young age of 15.
Pick 15:
Age: 18
Position: Midfield
Recruited from: Wilston Grange AFC
Occupation: Studying (Bachelor of Podiatry)
Place of birth: Buderim, Queensland
One of the youngest on the team, Tahlia Randall comes from a volleyball background and has a fantastic vertical leap. Randall is very athletic and can play all over the field as a utility-type player, tall defender, ruck, wing, half forward. Randall had her breakout game in the Western Bulldogs v Melbourne Exhibition match earlier this year. Randall played on Brisbane Lions women’s marquee player, Tayla Harris, in what Women’s Coach Craig Starcevich describes as “like watching Alex Rance play on Buddy Franklin,” - the best defender and best forward playing on each other. Randall is also a two-time All Australian Youth Girl, captained the Queensland Under-18 side and is a product of Mountain Creek’s School of Excellence which has a great AFL program.
Pick 18:
Age: 22
Position: Defender
Recruited from: Melbourne Uni WFC
Occupation: Apprentice Carpenter
Place of birth: Victoria
Nicole Hildebrand is a Melbourne University player from Ballarat. A medium-sized defender with a great ability to take intercept marks and distribute the ball with her left foot. Hildebrand placed in the top 4 at Melbourne University’s Best & Fairest behind players who are already on AFL lists. Also played in the last two exhibition games for Melbourne, playing at half back and is in the top 46 players in Australia.
Pick 31:
Age: 31
Position: Defender
Recruited from: Coolangatta Tweed WFC
Occupation: Environmental Scientist at Synergy Resource Management
Place of birth: Caringbah, NSW
2016 QWAFL Best & Fairest, Leah Kasler is hugely competitive and has played all the exhibition games over the four-year period. A fierce competitor and a leader, who normally plays a role shutting down a key position forward. In club land, Kasler plays an under-sized, but very competitive ruck – will play a role either shutting down the opposition's most dangerous forward or in the midfield playing a small ruck role. Has been described as the “Xena Princess Warrior” of the group.
Pick 34:
Age: 24
Position: Forward
Recruited from: East Fremantle AFC
Occupation: Studying (Cert 3 &4 in Fitness)
Place of birth: Hobart, Tasmania
Originally from Tasmania, Jess Wuestchner has spent the last three years playing for East Fremantle and has played two exhibition matches for the Western Bulldogs. Wuestchner is a small half forward/midfielder with elite kicking skills and is one of the best left-footers in the competition.
Pick 47:
Age: 22
Position: Midfielder
Recruited from: Zillmere Eagles FC
Occupation: Studying (Bachelor of Paramedic Science)
Place of birth: Brisbane
Alexandra Anderson is an inside midfielder with a great kick and is very valuable around the stoppages. An elite ball winner in close, Anderson is effective in getting her hands on the ball and feeding it out to our outside runners to help clear the stoppages. For the past three years Anderson has co–coached the female kick start team at the National Championship. In 2016 Anderson coached this team solely for the first time and won the Championship. The first Queensland Indigenous player to get drafted in the exhibition games and in 2016, Anderson was the joint winner of her club’s Best and Fairest – tying with Brisbane Lions marquee player Tayla Harris.
Pick 50:
Age: 21
Position: Defender
Recruited from: University of Queensland AFC
Originally from Magnetic Island, Breanna Koenen moved to play at the University of Queensland while studying exercise science. Koenen can play at half back or as a medium-sized midfielder and is a good ball user with an outstanding intercept mark. Koenen comes from a talented sporting family – her brother is in the Suns Academy and her sister in the National Netball League’s new Sunshine Coast Lightning team.
Pick 63:
Age: 20
Position: Midfield
Recruited from: University of Queensland AFC
Originally from Gladstone – Tannum Sands BITS. Megan Hunt is a very clever user of the footy and will play half forward/midfield. Hunt was the best player in the 2014 QWAFL Grand Final when Coorparoo defeated Zillmere.
Pick 66:
Age: 29
Position: Forward
Recruited from: Yeronga South Brisbane WFC
Occupation: Area Manager, Emjays Coffee
Place of birth: Blackwood, South Australia
Sam Virgo plays as a small defender for Yeronga and was equal winner in the 2016 QWAFL Best & Fairest. During the Lions v Melbourne exhibition match at the MCG, Virgo was our biggest possession winner. This year, Virgo has worked really hard on her game and has developed great hands, a good kick and is much more athletic. Virgo can tuck the ball under her wing and run the ball out of the half back line or can play as a rebounder. On top of this, Virgo will bring a lot to the group with her leadership and style of play.
Pick 79:
Age: 28
Position: Defender
Recruited from: Wilston Grange AFC
Occupation: Driver, Australian Defence Force
Place of birth: Brisbane, Queensland
Kate Lutkins is a very athletic medium-tall utility who can play anywhere - half back wing, half forward, key position, will be a trouble shooter for our team. Regularly the Australian Defence Force's best player, Lutkins is good overhead, can get the ball in her hands and take off and make good decisions. Has represented Queensland and Australia in futsal.
Pick 82:
Age: 23
Position: Midfield
Recruited from: Yeronga South Brisbane WFC
Occupation: Secondary School Teacher (Mathematics & HPE)
Kate McCarthy is an ex-Australian touch player who has only played footy for a couple of years and has already started making a name for herself in the QWAFL for her run and carry goals. Lightning fast, McCarthy can get her hands on the ball through the middle of the ground, before making a couple of bounces and then kicking them from 30 or 40 out. Women’s Coach Craig Starcevich believes McCarthy will be one of the quickest players in the competition when it starts.
Pick 95:
Age: 18
Position: Forward
Recruited from: Zillmere Eagles FC
Occupation: Bartender, Bowenville Hotel
Place of birth: Townsville, Queensland
Shaleise Law is a small forward, and occasional midfielder, who Women's Coach Craig Starcevich describes as, "the female version of Eddie Betts - plays like him - small, lightning fast, has defensive pressure and can kick freak goals.” Law was a three–time All Australian Youth Girls player. Her football development went through the full pathway – starting in kick start, an all–Indigenous team, before joining the mainstream program then onto the State team.
Pick 98:
Age: 26
Position: Midfield
Recruited from: Coolangatta Tweed WFC
Occupation: Secondary School Teacher
Place of birth: Gold Coast, Queensland
Selina Goodman is a medium-tall utility player, who will be a trouble shooter for the team as she can play a variety of roles. Goodman is a very athletic half back/winger and is our player with the best endurance for a 2km time trial.
Pick 111:
Age: 25
Position: Forward
Recruited from: University of Queensland AFC
Occupation: Secondary School Teacher
Place of birth: Nambour, Queensland
Sharni Webb has played the most of her career as a key position forward for the University of Queensland. Athletic, powerful and possessing a good vertical jump, Webb is a medium tall utility type player who can also play as a key defender, or in the ruck as an undersized ruckman.
Pick 114:
Age: 22
Position: Forward
Recruited from: Coolangatta Tweed WFC
Occupation: Sales, 2XU
Place of birth: Berwick, Victoria
Nikki Wallace is an inside midfielder with great foot skills. In 2016, Wallace developed her game really well and is a strong reason why Coolangatta have performed well. Wallace can get her hands on the ball around the centre bounce and can distribute it effectively by hand or foot – can play as either a midfielder, high half forward or a small forward.
Pick 127:
Age: 20
Position: Midfield
Recruited from: Coolangatta Tweed WFC
An ex-junior Matilda’s player, Jamie Stanton is in her first year playing AFL at Coolangatta where she has improved over the year to become one of, if not the best, midfielders. Stanton wins her own ball really well and is fit and smart enough, in a footy sense, to get into the right spots. Women’s Coach Craig Starcevich said, “she will transfer to the next level really well with the habits she’s created during her soccer career.”
Pick 128:
Age: 19
Position: Forward
Recruited from: Yeronga South Brisbane WFC
Occupation: Works for AFLQ, whilst studying Exercise Science.
Place of birth: New Zealand
Jade Ransfield is a clever medium-sized forward with good overhead ability. She plays the third tall role inside 50 very well and is a very good set-shot at goal. She was the equal leading goal kicker in the QWAFL in 2016 - kicking 12 goals in the final game of the Season. Ransfield also co-captained the Under 18’s state side in 2015.
Pick 141:
Age: 24
Position: Midfield
Recruited from: Burnie Dockers
Occupation: Agriculture Supervisor
Place of birth: Tasmania
Tasmania’s leading midfielder for several years now – Brittany Gibson is quick and tall through the midfield which is useful in getting first hands and speed out of a stoppage. Gibson will serve well in a midfield role, running off half back or as a medium sized forward. Gibson was a goal kicking midfielder in the Tasmanian League for which her team were the 2016 Premiers in the Tasmanian League.
Tayla looks pretty excited about her new teammates. #AFLWDraft pic.twitter.com/XbaVMGyowl
— Brisbane Lions (@brisbanelions) October 12, 2016
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