Lily Postlethwaite ( ; born 29 October 2001) is an Australian rules footballer playing for

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

in the

AFL Women's AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football league for female players. The first season of the league in February and March 2017 had eight teams; the league expanded to 10 teams in the 2019 season, ...

competition (AFLW).

Early life and state football

Postlethwaite was raised on a farm in the northern Brisbane suburb of

Caboolture, Queensland Caboolture () is a town and suburb in Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Caboolture had a population of 26,433 people. It is located on the north side of the Caboolture River, which separates the town from Mora ...

. Postlethwaite started her sporting career playing

Oztag Tag-rugby belt Tag rugby, or flag rugby, is a non-contact team game in which each player wears a belt that has two velcro tags attached to it, or shorts with velcro patches. The mode of play is based on rugby league with many similarities to to ...

, the Australian variation of

tag rugby Tag-rugby belt Tag rugby, or flag rugby, is a non-contact team game in which each player wears a belt that has two velcro tags attached to it, or shorts with velcro patches. The mode of play is based on rugby league with many similarities to t ...

, and started playing Australian rules football only at the age of 12. In 2014 she won the

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

award for Oztag's 13 Girls Division. Postlethwaite played for Moreton Bay Lions and won the under-15 division

best and fairest In Australian sport, the best and fairest award recognises the player(s) adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition. The awards are sometimes dependent on not receiving a suspensi ...

in 2016. Postlethwaite played for

Maroochydore Maroochydore ( ) is a coastal town in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. The town was subdivided from the Cotton Tree reserve by Surveyor Thomas O'Connor in 1903. The land was acquired from William Pettigrew who had a timber de ...

in the

AFL Queensland Women's League There are five senior women's AFL leagues in Queensland governed by AFL Queensland. The Queensland Australian Football League Women's (QAFLW) is the highest league in the State and provides elite women footballers the opportunity to play ...

(QWAFL). In the 2019 season she won the QWAFL Rising Star Award. During 2019, Postlethwaite also played for the

Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions is a professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was formed in late 1996 via a merger of t ...

Academy team. Postlethwaite represented Queensland in the

AFL Women's Under 18 Championships The NAB AFL Women's Under-18 Championships are the annual national Australian rules football championships for women players aged 18 years or younger. The competition is seen as one of the main pathways towards being drafted into a team in the ...

. In the

2018 AFL Women's Under 18 Championships The 2018 NAB AFL Women's Under-18 Championships was played between May and July 2018, with six teams competing in the main 'Series 2' round robin tournament and with a further four playing in a two-match on-on-one exhibition as the competition's ...

, she was selected for the All-Australian team. In the

2019 AFL Women's Under 18 Championships The 2019 NAB AFL Women's Under-18 Championships was played between May and July 2019, with six teams competing in the main 'Series 2' round-robin tournament and with a further four playing in a two-match one-on-one exhibition as the competition' ...

she led the team as captain and was selected once again for the All-Australian team.

AFLW career

Postlethwaite was drafted by

with the third pick in the

2019 AFL Women's draft The 2019 AFL Women's draft consisted of the various periods when the 14 clubs in the AFL Women's competition can recruit players prior to the competition's 2020 season. At the conclusion of the period clubs were required to have 27 senior-lis ...

. She made her debut in Brisbane's opening round game against

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...

Hickey Park Hickey Park is an Australian rules football ground in Stafford, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is the primary home ground for Wilston Grange in the Queensland Australian Football League. It has also been featured in the AFL Wo ...

on 8 February 2020.

Personal life

Postlethwaite is from

Caboolture Caboolture () is a town and suburb in Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Caboolture had a population of 26,433 people. It is located on the north side of the Caboolture River, which separates the town from Morayfi ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and grew up supporting

. She grew up on a farm and used the horse track for some unorthodox training and conditioning while at home.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Postlethwaite, Lily 2001 births Living people Sportswomen from Queensland Australian rules footballers from Queensland Brisbane Lions (AFLW) players