Gold Coast Suns AFLW player Lauren Bella says she will handle the pressure of the top league better in 2020
Former Lion Lauren Bella says she will enter the 2020 AFLW season with an enhanced ability to handle the pressure that comes with life at the top.
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FORMER Lion Lauren Bella says she will enter the 2020 AFLW season with an enhanced ability to handle the pressure that comes with life at the top.
Bella has revealed the impact her first season in the AFLW on her and how it has resulted the Suns bringing back one of their former academy players who is now ready to make her mark on the game.
The 19-year-old said the greatest learning she took from 2019 wasn’t to do with her physical attributes, but rather the mental side of football.
“I had the one year at the Lions so I know what the competitive level is like and how big a step up it is,” Bella said.
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“It can be difficult for under-18 players or people who haven’t played before to make that step up.
“I’ll definitely be able to handle the pressure better than last year. I’ll be able to go out and play my usual game.
“I’m always going to know what I need to do physically but for me it’s more a mental game when I get out there.
“I put a fair bit of pressure on myself. Staying composed and calming myself down is a big thing.”
The 188cm ruck played three games for the Lions in 2019, after being selected with Pick 45 in the 2018 AFLW Draft.
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It was a milestone year for Bella who grew up in Sarina, Mackay, and played netball for Queensland before shifting to Australian rules at the age of 14.
Bella competed at state level in athletics, largely featuring in the high jump, before joining the Suns academy at the age of 15.
She moved to the Gold Coast in 2018 and was part of the national academy before being named in the under-18 All-Australian team.
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