We spoke with Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast SUNS Academy teams to compile the list of the top talent coming through the Queensland ranks:
Brisbane
1. Jaspa Fletcher
Club: Sherwood
Son of Adrian. He plays inside, wing or forward. Possesses great game sense and decision making. Deadly around goals either distributing or kicking them himself.
2. Ben McCarthy
Club: Morningside
Growing into a natural leader. Plays predominantly at half-back. Reads the play well. Has great endurance. Captain of the successful 2021 St Laurence’s College First XVIII.
3. Matthew Hollier
Club: Mt Gravatt
Is an exciting talent. Rangy line breaking player with his penetrating kick and speed. Has very good composure in traffic.
4. Mitch Howson
Club: Morningside
Competitive key position player who is a strong mark, but equally adept at ground level. Coming of extended injuries and one player to watch.
5. Ravi Schofield
Club: Noosa
Speedy and agile player. He is very coachable and has a big upside. Skill attributes that will translate to multiple positions and roles in time. High endurance athlete and hard worker.
6. Mikayla Pauga
Club: Bond University
National Academy Member, plays through the middle of the ground and has great defensive pressure.
7. Bella Smith
Club: Maroochydore Roos
National Academy Member, plays forward and through middle. Really good goal smarts.
8. Maggie Harmer
Club: Maroochydore Roos
National Academy Member, plays half back and on ball. Has a really good ability to read the play.
9. Charlotte Mullins
Club: Aspley Hornets
17 year old, plays on ball and through forward line. Natural footballer
10. Ella Smith
Club: Aspley Hornets
17 year old, won the yo yo test for the U19 Lions Academy. Very good rower as well. Been good on the wing.
Gold Coast
11. Teagan Levi
Club: Bond University
One of our only academy players named in the AFLW National Academy. She is inside midfielder who loves to run with the footy and is hard at the contest. Her older sister Madi Levi plays in the SUNS AFLW team. Teagan has a background in rugby 7s.
12. Giselle Davies
Club: Bond University, came from Southport Sharks juniors
Giselle is a key defender with a great set of hands and uses the footy really well. She shows great leadership and is one of the SUNS Academy 2021 co-captains.
13. Jed Foggo
Club: Palm Beach Currumbin
Northern New South Wales product, grew up in Uki. He can play across halfback and as a big bodied midfielder with a booming left foot.
14. Bodhi Uwland
Club: Burleigh
He’s a strong and powerful midfielder that can play across halfback and half forward. He attacks the contest and is a very competitive player.
15. Marlin Corbett
Club: Byron Bay Magpies, playing for Surfers Paradise Demons this year
Northern New South Wales footballer out of Byron Bay. Clean with his hands, a great ball user and at 17 he’s one of the youngest in the SUNS U19 squad.
Cairns
16. Litonya Cockatoo Motlap
Club: Cairns City Lions
Inside mid-halfback. She’s really improved her running capacity over the past 12 months since she’s relocated to the Gold Coast. She’s got a really nice skillset, kicks the ball nicely and got good hands.
17. Laquoiya Cockatoo Motlap
Club: Cairns City Lions
Half-back flanker. Excellent skillset. She’s probably one of the best kicks of the footy in the female program that SUNS have seen. She’s really improved her work rate, since arriving on the Gold Coast. Stand out player in Cairns, won the Joe Butland medal for best and fairest player in the AFL Cairns women’s comp.
*Twins are the niece of Che Cockatoo-Collins who played for Essendon and Port Adelaide.
18. Austin Harris
Club: Cairns Saints, now at Broadbeach
Left foot outside mid-fielder. Possesses excellent speed and agility. Member of the AFL National Academy. Third year on the Gold Coast and will be a key player in this year’s U19 SUNS program.
Townsville
19. Ryan Pickering
Club: Hermit Park
Developing tall who is played through the ruck and is a key defender. He came to footy a little late (about 14 when started playing) but has really shown improvement in his competitiveness, his athleticism, and his overall skillset. Relocated to the Gold Coast last year.
20. Thomas Carey
Club: Hermit Park
Had a knee reconstruction in 2019. Came back and played senior football for Hermit Park last year and was one of the best performers in the Townsville senior competition. Plays half forward half back. 188cm tall and takes a really nice mark and beautiful kick of the ball.
21. Siobhan Ross
Club: Thuringowa Bulldogs
She’s 15 and is in the high-performance Townsville group. Plays as a key forward and has a great goal sense. Excellent overhead.
22. Neive Ryan
Club: Thuringowa Bulldogs
She won the best and fairest medal in the Townsville U15 youth girls competition in 2020. She’s a defender, excellent reader of the play and makes great decisions with the footy.
Mackay
23. Maison Staas
Club: Bakers Creek
Mason is 190cm wing halfback, left footer who possesses an extremely long kick. Has a lot of time when he has the footy in hand. He’s just played in the U17 North Queensland academy series for Mackay.
24. Alana Gee
Club: North Mackay Saints
An absolute stand out in the Mackay AFLW competition last year. At 16 years old, she won the senior women’s best and fairest medal by 12 votes. She’s an inside mid-fielder, great endurance, super competitive and she’s played all the games for the SUNS U19 side against the Lions this year.
25. Will Bella
Club: Bakers Creek, but now playing for Palm Beach Currumbin on the Gold Coast
Key forward who is a strong mark and a good kick at goal. His sister Lauren players for the SUNS AFLW side and was last week nominated as the NAB Rising Star. Will’s third year on the Gold Coast. He’ll play for the SUNS U19 team this year and be a key target up front.
