Round 1 team: Ex-Blue Lauren Arnell to make Brisbane Lions debut
Former Carlton skipper Lauren Arnell’s faith in her own ability has paid off, with the experienced midfielder joining four AFLW debutants in wearing Brisbane Lions colours for the first time.
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Former Carlton skipper Lauren Arnell’s faith in her own ability has paid off, with the experienced midfielder to make her Brisbane Lions debut on Sunday.
The Lions will kick off their 2019 campaign with five fresh faces among their line-up, including veteran Arnell and four AFLW debutants.
McKenzie Dowrick, Jesse Wardlaw, Paige Parker and Lauren Bella will join Arnell in donning the Brisbane colours for the first time as they look to get a strong start to the year against the GWS Giants at Moreton Bay Sports Complex.
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While it’s Arnell’s first time playing for the Lions, she beings plenty of experience with a 15-year career in Australian rules football.
But the 31-year-old is viewing Sunday’s match as a fresh start, after last year fearing for her career when it became clear there was no longer a place for her at Carlton.
“I’m a pretty loyal person but it became apparent leading into the trade period (last year) that I did need to seek another opportunity,” she said.
“Those were certainly some challenging times. Even during the 2018 AFLW season and waiting for those conversations to eventuate, there were some challenging times for me.
“But those challenges have made me a lot stronger as an athlete and person.
“I am so grateful (Lions coach) Craig Starcevich and (CEO) Bree Brock called me before the trade period and said they were really interested in speaking to me and potentially having me up here.
“To hear what they thought I could offer the team and that I could develop up here … those conversations were just fantastic.
“I’ve been very fortunate that they saw my potential.”
Arnell said even with her experience, she has not taken her place in the Lions squad for granted and did not expect she would be automatically selected for Round 1 until Starcevich confirmed the news this week.
Starcevich said after Brisbane’s only practice match two weeks ago that he thought Arnell was on track to “reignite” her career and she is ready to repay his belief in her.
“I definitely felt like I needed to do everything from before day one of pre-season until now to earn my spot,” she said.
“That needs to continue throughout the season.
“A fresh start is a nice way to describe it. It’s my 15th year of football and I have 18-year-old teammates.
“Craig’s message for me has always been, ‘let’s get you enjoying your footy again’. We’ve stripped things right back.”
BRISBANE LIONS ROUND 1 TEAM
B: S Virgo, L Kaslar (c)
HB: S Campbell, S Webb, K Lutkins
C: L Arnell, E Bates, N Exon
HF: J Zanchetta, S Frederick-Traub
F: J Wuetschner, M Dowrick, K McCarthy
R: J Wardlaw, A Anderson, E Zielke
Int: L Bella, A Clarke, G Collingwood, P Parker, E Pittman.
Emergency: N Grider, T Groves-Little
Round 1
Brisbane Lions v GWS Giants
Moreton Bay Sports Complex, 4.05pm Sunday
Live on Fox Footy
*All times in AEST
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Originally published as Round 1 team: Ex-Blue Lauren Arnell to make Brisbane Lions debut
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