Sport
14 April, 2023
Boltz drafted to Brisbane Lions AFL club
FORMER Centrals Trinity Beach and Cairns Saints player Poppy Boltz has been drafted to the Brisbane Lions at pick 16 in last week’s AFLW supplementary draft.
The 22-year-old said it was a dream come true.
“I’m so excited to be here (at the Brisbane Lions). It’s a dream, the last 24 hours have been crazy, it just doesn’t feel real,” she said after the pick was announced.
“I’ve been playing in the midfield for Southport for the past 12 months, I’m a very contested player, a hardhitting midfielder.
“I moved down from Cairns in 2022 to pursue my dream of playing AFLW.
“I have credited the girls I played with in Cairns who believed me and pushed my chase to an AFLW career.
“It feels like home. Walking into the club, saying hello to the girls, it’s like I never left the under-18s Queensland team.
“I can’t wait to be around the atmosphere of the AFLW.”
Boltz is a former member of the Suns’ Academy. She also won the 2021 Jo Butland Medal (best and fairest award) and was a member of the Cazalys AFL Cairns Women’s Team of the Year. Boltz spent 2022 with Southport in the QAFLW.
In 2017, Boltz was also a part of the Queensland team which took part in the NAB AFLW U18 National Championships.
AFL Cairns general manager Craig Lees said that Boltz’s selection onto the Lions list was testament to her dedication and the pathway within Cairns’ football system.
“It is fantastic to see Poppy receive an opportunity with the Lions, as she has shown consistent growth in her game over the last number of years and has committed to being the best possible footballer she can be,” he said.
“As a former member of our Suns’ Academy, our junior pathways and a strong performer in our AFL Cairns women’s competition, this is testament to the work done within our football community to provide opportunities for our athletes to reach the highest levels in the game.
“We wish Poppy all the best in this exciting next phase in her career.” Brisbane Lions women’s head coach Craig Starcevich said he was excited to see Boltz’s years of football hard work pay off earning a spot on the Lions list.
“Poppy’s story is a great one for those young players who don’t get selected at their first draft,” he said.
