AFLW Player Dakota Davidson (2019-)

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Welcome to the Den, Dakota Davidson

Dakota Davidson: Pick No. 60, 180cm, 31/12/98

• Tall forward or ruck
• Played in two QW Winter Series games for the Lions

The Brisbane Lions have selected Dakota Davidson with Pick No. 60 at today’s AFLW Draft in Melbourne.

The 20-year-old plays for University of Queensland in the QAFLW competition and can alternate between a tall forward or ruck position. She kicked 11 goals in 11 games for the Red Lions in 2019.

Davidson attacks the marking contest with aggression and has strong hands.

She played two games for the Lions in their undefeated QW Winter Series campaign against the Gold Coast.

Coach Craig Starcevich said Davidson has improved her game over the past three years.

“Dakota is competitive and has an energetic personality which we are excited to introduce to the group,” he said.

“We have watched her steady improvement over the last three QAFLW seasons.

“She is a reliable overhead mark and has a nice set shot at goal.”

 

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LISTEN: Star Lion's 'astonishing' discovery of Indigenous roots

DESIGNING Brisbane's Indigenous Round guernsey has given forward Dakota Davidson an opportunity to investigate her own family history.

Davidson's mob is the Gunditjmara people from south-west Victoria, but her dad was adopted at a young age and moved to Queensland.

"He only found his dad – my grandfather – when he was 30. They reconnected and sooner rather than later we all did. They live in Ballarat and Mildura and Bendigo," Davidson told Credit to the Girls podcast.

"We were lucky enough in 2016 to visit and go and see them all. It was quite an experience to visit people who are related to you, but you've never heard anything about.

"I didn't know their names, I didn't know how old they were, who was who, who was my cousin, who was my aunty, we're all intertwined. It was amazing, it was incredible.

"I felt closure. I had always known Dad to be an only child, or with a step-brother, and that was all I knew until later on in my life. It was definitely the closure I needed in my life.

"I knew there would have to have been another side to Dad and how he grew up. He's Indigenous, so I started to look into Indigenous mobs and that and it came together. It was astonishing, it's hard to say, but it really gave me a sense of family."

Having only got to know her family recently, Davidson knew very little about the history of the Gundmitjmarra people, so designing the club's jumper prodded her to dig a little deeper.

She was also able to incorporate Ally Anderson's story, with the family of the proud Ghungalu woman living in central Queensland near the Dawson River.

"The Lions have guided me in the right direction of finding out a lot more about my culture. I had to find out my totem, my people, what we did, where we're from, all that sort of stuff. I was very out of my depth in that situation," Davidson said.

"I found out my mob's the very first to have aquaculture in Australia, we developed fishing mechanisms to catch fish and sell at markets and barter. My strip on the guernsey is blue, representing the water and aquaculture.

"It's got black swan footprints (her totem), it's got eels, the Murray cod running through the river, because that's how my mob survived."

 

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Secret weapons: Who's your side's most underrated player?

Dakota Davidson

Another club who will need to reshape its forward line, Davidson could really make or break Brisbane's attack this year. As a contested marking player – Davidson averaged 1.6 contested marks last season – she can be the key focus in attack and bring teammates into the game by bringing the ball to ground.

 

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Davidson: See you at the Big Cat Dance

Watch Dakota Davidson's Press Conference leading into round 1 against Richmond

www.lions.com.au

 

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Davidson takes control with double blow

Dakota Davidson bookends the second quarter with this set of stunning pack marks and goals to follow

www.lions.com.au

 

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Coaches' votes, R2: Roos star one of SIX players to land perfect 10s

Brisbane's Dakota Davidson, Geelong's Chloe Scheer, Hawthorn's Tilly Lucas-Rodd, Fremantle's Kiara Bowers and Melbourne's Kate Hore were the other players to earn 10 votes.

 

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AFLW Team of the Week, round two

FORWARDS
Dakota Davidson (Brisbane), Kate Hore (Melbourne), Tahlia Randall (North Melbourne), Chloe Scheer (Geelong), Jamie Stanton (Gold Coast)

It was hauls of five for season seven All-Australians Chloe Scheer (10 disposals, four marks) and Kate Hore (23 and eight), while Dakota Davidson (13 and nine) and Tahlia Randall (15) kicked four each.

 

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MATCH REVIEW: FOUR players cop bans for rough conduct

Davidson has been charged by the Match Review Officer for the first-quarter incident involving Sydney's Brenna Tarrant that was graded careless, medium impact and high contact, leading to a one-match suspension.

 

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Leading the charge: Energetic Lion steps up in new-look forward line

NEW faces, a new challenge and some extra responsibility has Brisbane forward Dakota Davidson thriving in the first fortnight of the AFLW season.

With Jesse Wardlaw (St Kilda) and Greta Bodey (Hawthorn) departing from last year's Grand Final outfit, the Lions had some big shoes to fill entering 2023.

And Davidson, now in her fifth season, saw it as a great opportunity to step up as both a player and leader.

The 24-year-old has made a scintillating start, kicking six goals in two matches, and hauling in nine contested marks – six of which came against Port Adelaide last Saturday.

Speaking to AFL.com.au, the energetic key forward said the hot start came on the back of a strong pre-season and renewed focus.

"I guess you could say I'm happier than I was at this time last season when it took me seven games to kick my first goal," Davidson laughed.

"I had to step up after we lost some key players, so I took it upon myself to push and become a better player."

The biggest change has come with Davidson's leadership.

She's always been a popular figure since joining the club in late 2019, a character who can "talk the back legs off a donkey", is loads of fun away from the field, but someone who has also won respect from her teammates with her work ethic and determination on it.

With Analea McKee, Charlotte Mullins and Lily Postlethwaite now entering the forward line mix, Davidson knew her voice could be important.

The cohesion of previous years was no longer there, and after approaching forwards coach Phil Lovett, she knew now was the time to take more ownership forward of centre.

"To control the forward line and tell girls what to do as well as play my game is challenging … especially when you're cooked," Davidson said.

"I've never had to really think about that because I've always had girls around me doing that job.

"I knew exactly what Jesse was going to do, I knew what Greta was going to do, we knew each other's roles so well.

"There was chat, but no standout leader to take charge of that forward line, but I like to think we've got a more dynamic forward line now.

"Analea always provides a contest, Taylor Smith has got her fitness up and is getting up the ground - I wanted us to take a different approach.

"I felt we were becoming easier to play against, predictable.

"We've now got three key forwards that move around, and I wanted to work with Phil and see how we could evolve that.

"Someone had to take ownership and understand what a great forward line we could be."

Davidson heaped praise on Brisbane's midfield, saying they had made the forwards' job easy through two matches.

She said there was no specific reason she could point to for the improved contested marking, aside from a noticeable improvement in fitness helping her get to more contests.

The next challenge comes on Sunday afternoon comes against Sydney, where the Lions hope to win their first match ever at Brighton Homes Arena.

"We're trying to create a fortress. The blokes have the Gabba and we have Springers," she said.

"Round one (against Richmond) was not our best work, but we definitely learnt a lot from that game.

"We're capable of good footy, it's just a matter of showing up every week and doing it."

 

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AFLW Team of the Week, round five

FORWARDS
Dakota Davidson (Brisbane), Kate Hore (Melbourne), Eloise Jones (Adelaide), Bec Privitelli (Sydney), Bonnie Toogood (Essendon)

Hore added another four-goal haul to her tally and is now the AFLW leading goalkicker for the season, with Davidson (three goals) fast closing in, sitting third from one less game.

 

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Dakota: I'm Never Going To Stop Being Who I Am

Brisbane's key forward put herself at the centre of a viral moment in Saturday night's loss against Collingwood when she twice stood on the mark and attempted to distract her opponent with a series of dance moves.

While it got a few chuckles, it was Magpie Grace Campbell who had the last laugh as she played on, skirted around Dakota Davidson and kicked the ball to waiting skipper Bri Davey, who marked and kicked a crucial goal.

Speaking on Wednesday morning at the launch of the AFL Women's Indigenous round, Davidson said she would "100 per cent" be doing it again.

"It's my character," she said.

"I think it brings a lot to the AFLW space for good and bad reasons. It puts us on the map as well.

"I'm not going to stop it, it's who I am as a person. I love doing it. I bring a buzz to my teammates, and I know they love it."

Davidson is having a wonderful season for the Lions, thriving in a forward line that has been revamped after the off-season departures of Jesse Wardlaw (St Kilda) and Greta Bodey (Hawthorn).

Along with her 11 goals, she is the equal competition leader for contested marks (14) and marks inside 50 (16) despite missing one game through suspension.

But don't expect her to ditch the dance moves.

"Sometimes it comes off and sometimes it doesn't, but that's footy," she said.

"I'm never going to stop being who I am. I love what I do and I love what I can bring to the team."

 

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Anderson: It's an exciting round and we absolutely love it

Watch Ally Anderson and Dakota Davidson's Press Conference at the AFLW Indigenous Round Launch. The Lions will take on Gold Coast in the QClash this Saturday and they are expecting fireworks

www.lions.com.au

 

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Dad's bush tucker business connecting Lion to her roots

DAKOTA Davidson is most well known for her big pack marks and lively nature on the field, but away from footy, the Brisbane forward is just proud of her dad.

Davidson is a proud Gunditjmara woman whose mob hails from the south-west region of Victoria, who previously shared her family story on the Credit to the Girls podcast.

Her father, Jason, was adopted, and only met his family when he was 30.

Jason has started his own native food business, FigJam & Co, which is now stocked in Brisbane and overseas.

The Davidson family all have roles – Dakota is the kitchen manager, her two sisters are the HR manager and bookkeeper, and her brother is the business manager – with discussions often occurring round the dinner table.

"It's an Indigenous bush tucker company. He does catering as well as condiments, (and) at the moment, his condiments have really taken off," Davidson told the podcast.

"During Covid, obviously nothing went on in the world, so he went out mob and discovered all these new tastes and all these new flavours. During that time, he developed all these condiments where it's like a Davidson plum jam, a hot sambal, or a beetroot relish, I think there's like a … oh god, he's going to kill me … like a baba ghanoush thing. He's got a pigface pickle mustard. He finds all these native plants, and he's developed them in a way and created such a beautiful condiment that is now selling worldwide.

"He used to work 16, 17-hour days, seven days a week, he'd get smashed and he'd never watch me play, but now he's got a little more time and he works Monday-Friday – he went to Tassie when I was suspended, he's going 'I'm still going to support the girls'.

"He loves footy. He's like 55 now, and he's finally found his niche in the market and it's really doing well. He doesn't really need me, I don't do all too much, but I just like to go there and see him and chat footy all day. He could just talk for hours about footy, he's gorgeous.

"Him and I do most of the prep work. It's quite a humbling experience, because I get off the track and do my AFLW stuff and all that jazz, and then I’d be at work at 5am the next day, bending over a bin and peeling potatoes. Dad goes, 'I'm just keeping you grounded, you have to stay grounded'."

 

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Raise the Bat | A half-ton for Daks

To celebrate Dakota Davidson's 50th career goal, we take a look back at every single moment the ball crossed the line. Which one is your favourite?

www.lions.com.au

 

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Four Lions Named in AFLW All-Australian Squad

Vice-captain Nat Grider, Ally Anderson, Sophie Conway and Dakota Davidson are the quartet rewarded for their strong seasons.

Fellow Lion Davidson has also earned selection in the All-Australian squad for the second time after one of her best seasons to date.

The key forward relished following the departure of last season’s league leading goalkicker Jesse Wardlaw, with Davidson booting 19 majors to date.

“It is a great reward for effort for Dakota, she has also taken on a bigger role this season and gives her teammates a lot of confidence when she is taking big, contested marks.”

 

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Busting packs and terrorising backs in 50 games for Daks

Dakota Davidson thrives on rising to the occasion when the Brisbane Lions need.

The charismatic key forward affectionately known as ‘Daks’ has proven this more than once on her journey to 50 AFLW games, a milestone she will reach in Saturday’s Preliminary Final against Geelong.

This season the 24-year-old has risen to the occasion to help cover the void following the departure of former Lions teammate and last season’s league leading goalkicker Jesse Wardlaw.

Externally there was plenty of off-season talk about how Brisbane would fill the hole left by Wardlaw.

Though Davidson’s history of stepping up when needed gave solace internally.

“Dakota came into our group after we lost 11 players to expansion after the 2019 season,” Lions AFLW senior coach Craig Starcevich recalled.

“There was an opportunity there for her to take over a key forward role after Sabrina Frederick moved to Richmond.

“From the outset we were really impressed with the quality of her overhead marking, particularly in a contest, and her speed and work rate for a tall marking target.

“And of course, she has that energy and attitude that allows others around her to walk a bit taller.

“In past seasons she’s partnered up with either Jesse Wardlaw or Taylor Smith but this season she seems to have relished the responsibility to lead and organise the forward group.”

Relished the opportunity is exactly what Davidson has done this season, booting a career-best 19 goals as the Lions premier forward.

In doing so she has helped her team advance to a Preliminary Final and individually she has reaped the benefits including selection in the All-Australian squad.

Acknowledging the absence of Wardlaw has played a part in her stepping up in 2023, Davidson said her main motivation is the same as always – to help her team.

“I took it in my stride to take on a similar role but still play my game,” the proud indigenous woman explained.

“It gave me more drive to be better and I feel I have produced that this season and I’m proud of mine and the team’s efforts navigating that.

“We have done that so incredibly well, the whole team has gelled together so well and it’s exciting to see how far we will go.”

While trying to deflect the praise to her teammates and at times playing down her season, it was between last season’s Grand Final heartbreak and the 2023 season opener that the 181-centimetre forward got to work.

“Having two seasons last year was mentally and physically demanding. So, I took my holidays, went overseas, came back and was ready to rip in,” Davidson said.

“I put a lot of effort in on the off season. I put a lot of work into my fitness and strength.

“Being able to take marks and get to contests was going to be key this year, so I worked a lot on that stuff and my leadership.

“I worked on leadership and understanding footy, I watched a lot of men’s games trying to analyse how the forward lines worked together to then bring that back to our game.”

Looking at Lions AFL players and others for inspiration will help, but the self-described larrikin knows what helps her best – be herself.

Which is what she has done in her 49-game career to date, forging a reputation as one of the AFLW’s best forwards and a cult figure that has produced colourful moments.

“The journey has been incredible, lots of ups, lots of downs and lots of laughs,” Davidson said.

“I don’t see myself doing it with any other club and to be able to achieve this milestone and say every game played has been for the Lions is very special to me.

“I’ve grown as a person and player, you couldn’t have told me 10 years ago you’d be playing in 50 AFLW games, but here I am.

“I’m proud of who I’ve become and as a player and mentor for my teammates and the future generations.”

It’s fitting that a big moment player like Davidson will play her 50th milestone in Saturday’s Preliminary Final against Geelong.

And according to her coach, the games from the final to her next milestone will be worth watching.

“What you see on the outside sometimes belies how deep a thinker she is about the game and how strong her IQ is around her forward craft,” Starcevich revealed.

“She has presence and is a constant source of energy for her teammates.

“She’s had a terrific first 50 games and we’re sure there’s even better ahead.”

 

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Between the Lions w/ Nat Grider & Dakota Davidson

A new look poddy this week with Daks and Nat joining Cathy to chat all things Prelim Final in the lead up to their do or die clash against the Cats this weekend!

www.lions.com.au

 

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50 for 50 | Dakota Davidson

The spearhead of the Lions attack will notch up game 50 this weekend and there's only one way to match the energy levels of this key forward! Tune in for this quick fire 50 for 50

www.lions.com.au

 

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Lions Trio Rewarded with All-Australian Honours

Brisbane Lions trio Ally Anderson, Sophie Conway and Dakota Davidson have capped off stellar seasons by being named in the 2023 AFLW All-Australian team at Monday night’s W Awards.

The three Lions accepted their All-Australian honours at the AFLW’s night of nights from a satellite event in Brisbane due to preparations for Sunday’s AFLW Grand Final against North Melbourne.

Davidson, the Lions key forward, broke through for her first All-Australian selection off the back of an outstanding season.

Named in the All-Australian squad in 2021, Davidson’s selection highlights the leap she has taken this season both as a player and leader as a crucial player in Brisbane’s forward line.

Davidson has booted 21 goals in 2023 which is her best return in her career, along with 53 marks.

 

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Qscan Injury Update: Dakota Scans Revealed

Scans have cleared Brisbane Lions AFLW forward Dakota Davidson of any serious injury, with the 24-year-old a chance to play in Sunday’s Grand Final against North Melbourne.

Davidson sustained the injury to her left knee late in the third quarter of Saturday night’s Preliminary Final victory against Geelong, which saw her leave the field and not return.

Brisbane Lions Head of Women’s Football, Breeanna Brock said Davidson will be further assessed by the Club’s medical staff and will look to train later in the week to prove her fitness.

Davidson has enjoyed a strong season booting a career-best 21 goals and being one of the competition’s leading marks.

 

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Davidson 'good to go' despite injury cloud, Roos' 'evidence'

BRISBANE coach Craig Starcevich has declared spearhead Dakota Davidson "good to go" for Sunday's AFLW Grand Final.

After injuring her knee in last week's narrow preliminary final win over Geelong, there has been an injury cloud looming over Davidson, who is the Lions' leading goalkicker this year.

"She's pretty good actually," Starcevich said on Saturday morning.

"Last Saturday night it was looking a little bit like it was going to be a bad one, but she had her scan pretty soon on the Sunday and got going and trained pretty strongly on whatever night we train, Thursday night, the whole 'sesh' so, she's good to go."

Davidson's availability bolsters Brisbane's chances in a fifth Grand Final appearance for the club, having taken home the premiership just once from their previous four attempts.

 

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Dakota Davidson recovers from injury to deliver on the biggest stage​

What a difference a week makes in football. After injuring her knee in the club's gritty preliminary final win over Geelong, the forward was left in tears, and looked highly unlikely to take part in the biggest game of the season.

By three-quarter time, she had had just three touches and little influence on the contest, but stood up in the final quarter to deliver two result-changing, and premiership-winning goals.

Dakota Davidson was quiet until the last quarter, when she turned the game in Brisbane's favour.(Getty Images: Josh Chadwick)
Interviewed on TV after the game, Davidson said it had been a "scary" 24 hours as she waited for scans on her knee to get the all-clear to play.

"I did everything I could to make it today, and I'm so glad I did," Davidson told Nat Edwards on Channel Seven.

"Every child dreams of playing in a premiership … it's an unbelievable feeling."

Five quick hits: Lions silence the doubters as AFLW's best stands up on grand final day

The Brisbane Lions have had to do it the hard way, but they are AFLW champions again. Here are five quick hits from a grand final win over North Melbourne to remember.

www.abc.net.au

 

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THE PERFORMANCE OF DAKS

One of the big sub-plots in the week going into the Grand Final was whether or not Dakota Davidson would get up.

I don’t need to repeat myself on this because I wrote it up in the preview, but the fitness of Davidson would have to be one of the key contributing factors in helping decide this game. After being named to play on Friday, we wondered how fit she would be.

Well, North’s defensive unit kept her well for three quarters. She was matched well with Sarah Wright for a lot of the game – Wright took her whenever she went higher up the ground and was usually met with Jasmine Ferguson when stationed deep. Emma Kearney also had a few moments with her, which was a bit amusing to see.

With three disposals to her name at three-quarter time, it looked like a quiet day in the office for Davidson. Looking at her move and run around, she seemed pretty comfortable, so I believe she was close enough to 100 per cent. More than not, the Roos’ defence was outplaying her.

However, she finally got up and about when she beat out Sarah Wright twice inside 50. The first instance was Wright anticipating Lulu Pullar would come in and spoil the ball when she couldn’t put a finger on it. The mark was about 35 metres out – straight as an arrow. Also, full marks to Belle Dawes on the kick for placing it in front of her to run onto.

In the second goal, Wright lost her as Davidson read the Taylor Smith kick quicker than anyone else and used her body to get Eliza Shannon out of the way to mark the ball about 20 metres out.

They kicked the goal that got Brisbane back the lead and would never relinquish it. It wasn’t Daks’s best game ever, but for at least 10 minutes, she had the game in the palm of her hands, and she was one of a few key players that got them over the line in that last term.

The Lion Queens - 2023 AFLW Premiers - The Mongrel Punt

The Brisbane Lions reign again, snagging their second AFLW flag over the Kangaroos. The Doc has all the details.

themongrelpunt.com

 

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Dakota’s dominance: Is this the AFLW’s leading hard woman? ​

The biggest storyline coming out of the Lions’ camp before the opening whistle was whether Dakota Davidson would take the field.
Not only did the key forward do so, but she stole the show and iced the two major moments that ultimately spearheaded Brisbane’s fourth-quarter charge to a second premiership.
The 24-year-old was distraught on the sidelines at the end of her side’s preliminary final win over Adelaide, with concerns that a knee injury would cruel her of the chance to take on the Kangaroos.

Yet, Davidson was cleared on the eve of the clash, and her two goals – one which featured a strong contested mark – in the final term to get within a point, and then take the lead, showed that she was a woman for an occasion.

“I did say to her before the game it’s unlikely a key forward is going to dominate a grand final because we haven’t seen that happen for yonks, but it’s terrific she hung in the game and not get frustrated,” Starcevich said.

“She’s normally clunking a few early in the game getting everyone up and about, but today was more about perseverance and hanging in there and waiting for your opportunity.

“The more people up the field got on top of their roles the more supply is coming in. She loves those moments.”

Never did Davidson look hindered by the setback, so how does she rate among the AFLW’s toughest competitors?

According to Lions skipper Breanna Koenen – who finished as best on ground with a goal, 19 disposals and was a rock at the back – she is more than that, she is the key to Brisbane’s energy.

“Daks is more than just a player on our team – she’s our barometer for energy as well,” Koenen said.

“To have her on the field was pretty special, no matter what she did, and to be able to perform under that sort of pressure it’s pretty incredible.”

AFLW 2023: What we learnt from the Brisbane Lions’ premiership triumph

Emma Kearney declared “If there’s one thing you should never do, it’s underestimate the Lions”. So who stood out for the club, and what comes next for this champion team?

www.theage.com.au

 

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The moment: Revolving Dawes sparks Lions spearhead

BRISBANE was down.

It had conceded the final two goals of the third quarter and coughed up the lead, and it was North Melbourne's game for the taking.

But emerging star Belle Dawes had other ideas.

Snatching up a loose ball close to the boundary in the attacking half, Dawes twisted out of the Roos' clutches, spun 360 degrees and kicked the ball to the top of the 50m arc to find none other than Dakota Davidson waiting to take a neat contested mark.

Davidson, who had come into the game under a significant injury cloud, had been relatively unsighted to that point in the game.

A heavily strapped left knee had not impeded her ability to move around the ground, but the way Brisbane chose to move the ball forward simply had not let her work into the game and take charge.

But when the moment mattered, she stepped up.

Forty metres from goal and with the weight of the world on her shoulders, Davidson coolly walked back and slotted the set shot to put her side back within one point.

"I definitely thought this is probably where the game will change momentum," Davidson told AFL.com.au.

"(I thought) 'You've got the Grand Final in your hands right now'. So I just did my routine - you can count on your routine for everything - and tell myself to relax. And I just did my routine and off we went, and I think that's what kickstarted our comeback.

"Craig (Starcevich) actually came up to me at half-time and said 'Daks, this is a game of moments, you haven't had much obviously in the first half, but just relax. Your time will come, and when you do take it with both hands'

"So I got my moment and I did what I had to do."

It was the celebration that followed, with Dawes leaping into Davidson's arms, that was an indicator that Brisbane was ready to get the job done.

The arm wrestle that dominated most of the game returned, but with an increased vigour from the Lions, and six minutes later it was Davidson once again lining up for the set shot.

This time she put Brisbane back into the lead, and from there the Lions never looked back.