Traded Ella Smith (2022-2023)

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Dual Sport Ella Smith A Lion

From rowing to football, talented dual sport athlete Ella Smith is the newest Lion to join the den, drafted at Pick 41 in the 2022 NAB AFLW Draft on Wednesday night.

A National Champion and Australian National U19 team rower, Ella Smith will add Brisbane Lion to her burgeoning sporting resume when she joins the Club ahead of Season 7.

While juggling her football career with her passion for rowing, Smith has spent the past season honing her craft as an inside midfielder and a winger.

The Lions Academy product is one of only three Queensland NAB AFLW Academy members, and represented both Queensland and the Academy in the NAB AFLW U18 Championships earlier this year.

The Aspley Hornet’s star is clean by hand and foot, making her a threat to any opposition with ball in hand.

The speedy inside midfielder caught the attention of the competition during this year’s NAB AFLW Combine, with her blistering 2km time trial result of 7:37 putting her within the Top 10 of Combine participants nationally.

“Ella is a medium sized midfielder, equally adept on the inside or outside of the contest,” Head Coach Craig Starcevich said.

“In close she’s clean and strong enough to break away from congestion, and on the outside she uses her long running ability with great effect to find space and use her long left foot to gain valuable meters for her team.

“Her other sporting passion, elite rowing, has her well placed to take on the preparation demands of AFLW.”

 

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Ella Smith Poised For Big 2023

Ella Smith understood being drafted to the Brisbane Lions presented her with great opportunity as well as some tough challenges to overcome.

The Lions have been Premiers, Preliminary Finalists and Grand Finalists in the last three seasons – a dream team to be selected by.

On the flip side, earning the call up into coach Craig Starcevich’s formidable line-up is no easy feat, especially for a young teenager crossing to AFLW from rowing.

“It is definitely a hard side to break into,” Smith acknowledged.

“But I know the development I’ve got from learning from such experienced players is so beneficial. I have learnt so much from plenty of the girls in training and games.

“Just watching how lots of the girls go about their individual prep to make sure they are in the right mindset and warmed up properly was helpful in knowing how important it is to get your body right to perform.

“Lots of the girls were great mentors to me, especially the experienced ones that played in the reserve games. They made all the time in the world to work with us and to help improve us.”

Smith’s transition into the Club’s AFLW program was made a little smoother after coming across from the Lions Academy from her home club of Aspley.

The 18-year-old was selected with pick 41 in the 2022 NAB AFLW Draft as an emerging midfielder.

Now the challenge is to find a way into the Lions’ team, with Smith revealing she spent additional time with development coach Damien Richards to try and do so.

“My agility, speed and body confidence are the areas of my game that I really want to improve,” Smith explained.

“I did plenty of craft work with Damo this year to improve different aspects of my game and it was so beneficial.

“As a coach, Damo was my biggest mentor, he always worked with me before and after training to help me improve.”

For the past three years Smith has shared her time and energy with football and rowing.

While admitting that the rigorous training regime for both took some time to adjust to, Smith is confident she is managing both sports well and benefiting from them.

“The fitness I have gained through rowing carries over to footy and has improved my endurance, strength and overall ability to be able to push myself,” the young Lion said.

“The intensity of all my previous rowing has also helped me to understand how hard I can push myself and this transfers well to being able to do the same in footy, so I’ll do whatever it takes to get a game.”

With Season Seven of the AFLW now over and most players are now enjoying an off-season holiday, it is not the case for Smith.

The dual-sport athlete has now moved straight into rowing season, with her heart set on making the under-21 Australian rowing team.

 

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Who's Impressing in AFLW Pre-Season

Belle Dawes says...

Ella Smith.

She's taking risks with the footy in training and in games and using her voice more. Really starting to show confidence on the field.

 

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First Game Excitement

Debutant Ella Smith is ready for a new challenge this weekend as the Lions take on Richmond in Round 1

www.lions.com.au

 

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Debutants 2023: The future looks promising

Welcome to the club. This season the Brisbane Lions blooded a total of 7 new and exciting players.

www.lions.com.au

 

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Ella Smith Departs Den in Three-way Trade

The Brisbane Lions have completed a three-team trade with the Gold Coast SUNS and the Collingwood.

The trade sees young midfielder Ella Smith head down the highway to the SUNS and in exchange the Lions receive Pick 68 in the 2023 AFLW Draft.

Collingwood receive Kalinda Howarth from the SUNS for pick 59 from the Pies.

Brisbane Lions Head of Women's Football Breeanna Brock said Smith had made a positive contribution in her time at the Club.

“Ella’s been such a professional throughout our program, coming from a high-level rowing background she had really elite habits from the get-go and has been a really popular member of our group,” Brock said.

“We wish her all the best with the next chapter of her career.”

Smith, who was drafted prior to Season Seven, made her debut in the Lions 2023 season-opener against Richmond.