The potential he has saw in the new Brisbane Lions draftees is what excites Coach Craig Starcevich most about the upcoming AFLW season.

The Lions hosted GWS Giants at a practice match at Yeronga yesterday afternoon where they went down 28-75 after five periods.

Despite the loss, Starcevich was satisfied with his team’s efforts.

“The fact that all of our draftees showed glimpses of why we drafted them was what I was pleased with most,” Starcevich told lions.com.au.

“You can see what they can bring to the table. Now the challenge for us as coaches, is to make sure they are consistent.”

28 players were available yesterday afternoon, with 12 on the bench at a time. Kate Lutkins, Sharni Webb, Bella Ayre and Bre Koenen were the only exclusions on the day.

The aim was for every player to have their opportunity on field, but this did disrupt the Lions flow in attack.

“You try and achieve a lot of things at once,” Starcevich told lions.com.au.

“To have people in positions that they’re new to probably put a strain on our team.

“When we started shuffling around the deck it put a bit of pressure on everyone.”

Some players rose to the pressure and put their name in contention for a Round 1 spot, after an impressive performance yesterday afternoon.

“Like any game of footy, especially this time of year, when you’re vying for spots, some have nominated themselves,” he said.

“But there are still spots up for grabs.

“At this point everything is a working progress and we’ll continue to find out which combinations the best.”

The Lions have less than two weeks to prepare for their first match of the season, which, coincidentally, is against the Giants.

“They were very impressive,” Starcevich said.

“They are going to be a very formidable opponent in two weeks.”

More than 1,000 Lions fans turned out to Yeronga for the practice match, which only makes the team more excited about the upcoming year.

“The crowd was terrific,” he said.

“We had really good support, especially on a hot Saturday afternoon.” 



Captain Leah Kaslar.


New recruit Nat Grider passes to Emily Bates.


Jess Wuetschner.


Paige Parker in her first game as a Lion.


McKenzie Dowrick kicks her first goal as a Lion.


Draftees Jacqui Yorston and Jade Ellenger lead the girls off the field after the match.