HIGH HOPES
SUNS POACH MORE AFLW STARS
FORMER under-age All-Australian Lauren Bella has signed with Gold Coast for the 2020 season.
The 188cm ruck has joined a raft of players to exit the Brisbane Lions in favour of joining the Suns AFLW expansion team along with rebounding defender Emma Pittman and Leah Kaslar.
Bella, 18, is a former Suns academy player and two-time under-18 All-Australian who said she was happy to be heading back to the club.
“I’ve grown up in the Suns academy, so it’s really exciting to be coming home,” she said. “The Suns academy helped me to get to where I am today.
“I’ve always grown up wanting to play football, it’s my passion, I’ve loved it for as long as I can remember.”
Bella is originally from Sarina near Mackay but has moved to the Gold Coast to pursue her football.
The Suns have a strong partnership with the Mackay region over a number of years, something Bella said she wanted to help continue to foster and grow.
“I’m really big with cultural aspects of clubs and trying to promote football with the younger generations,” Bella said.
“To be able to work with kids and promote the game among the next generation especially in my home town, is a fantastic opportunity.”
Bella played three games for the Lions in 2019, after being selected with Pick 45 in the 2018 AFLW Draft.
Pittman, 26, yesterday also joined the Suns, another former Lion who played eight games over two seasons.
The former Brisbane Roar W-League player first started playing Australian rules as an adult but quickly found her aptitude to the sport, being named in the QWAFL team of the year in 2017.
“It’s fantastic that we have secured Emma as a Gold Coast Suns player for 2020,” Suns women’s football manager Fiona McLarty said. “Being a cross-code athlete, Emma has lots of experience she can draw from and has shown exciting signs in her time at the Lions.
“It’s also great to get another Mackay product onto our list and I’m sure Emma will be thrilled to be able to play football in front of friends and family up there when we take AFLW matches to Mackay.”
As revealed yesterday, Kaslar had been with the Lions since their AFLW inception and joins the Suns after playing 21 games in three seasons for Brisbane.
IT’S REALLY EXCITING TO BE COMING HOME SUNS RECRUIT LAUREN BELLA