Lauren and Will Bella to make history with Gold Coast Suns draft

Mackay’s AFL talent on the climb with siblings Lauren and Will Bella on track for draft picks in the same club.

The chance to create history is not lost on Gold Coast star Lauren Bella as she prepares for the upcoming AFLW season.

Bella’s brother Will has been invited to the AFL draft combine as a member of the Gold Coast Academy, and if drafted, the pair will be the first brother and sister drafted to the same club.

Lauren said she was excited for her brother’s prospects.

“Our whole family is proud of him, Will has worked really hard to get to where he is, but it’s really good for Mackay footy as well,” she said.

“It’s harder because we’re in regional Queensland, being further from Brisbane means we don’t get as many resources but it’s great to see the growth of footy in the area.”

If drafted, Will would be Mackay’s first male player on an AFL list since David Armitage, and would be the fourth pair of brother-sister players in the top leagues.

Shaun and Danielle Higgins (Geelong), Tom (Richmond) and Beth (North Melbourne) Lynch, and Rory (Adelaide) and Shae (Melbourne) Sloane are the three sets of brother/sister siblings in the game.

Bella is preparing for another AFLW season with the Suns, with the ruck looking to expand on her game.

She said she was looking to develop an additional craft and become more versatile.

“I’m hoping to expand my game into new positions, I’m hoping to learn some knowledge in the forwards this year and work on my craft there,” Bella said.

“It’s exciting to be back in the old routine and grind of football, hopefully Covid doesn’t interrupt the season too much.”

Lauren will play in the newly expanded AFLW this upcoming season, with the league expanding to accommodate 18 teams.

She said she was proud to see the growth in the women’s game.

“It’s really exciting for everyone because I don’t think anyone thought it was going to happen this quickly,” she said.

“I love seeing the statistics of viewers grow each year and know people want to watch the women’s game more than ever.

“Women deserve to be playing football as well, the growth in the game has been fantastic, being able to influence young girls to play footy is just awesome.”