“I was just really excited and happy, it was such a relief,” 18 year old Shaleise said of being picked for the Brisbane Lions draft for next year’s competition.
Joining the Queensland’s Under-16 team and the AFL Women’s training academy in 2013, Shaleise clearly impressed selectors despite only starting to play AFL in Grade 8 at her boarding school, St Saviours College in Toowomba.
Her ball-handling skills from her start as a six year old in rugby league probably had something to do with it, as well as her impressive sporting pedigree with her grandfather Eric Law a former Wide Bay league representative.
While Shaleise has switched her NRL idols Matt Bowen and Sonny Bill Williams for Adam Goodes her speed on the field hasn’t changed.
In 2015, she was the only woman in Queensland to be awarded a Jim Stynes Scholarship allowing her to help cover some of the costs involved in her sporting and academic commitments.
“It helped me a lot,” she told NITV. “I always used to travel from home to Brisbane so it helped me pay for fuel.”
The same year she was selected for the All Australian team off the back of only two games after a concussion kept her out of Queensland’s final two games, including a grand final loss to Victoria.
With the AFL Women’s League announced for 2017, Shaleise is stepping up to the plate with a chance at selection for the Brisbane Lions which will offer her a start in front of the biggest crowds she has ever played in front of.
When asked what she is most excited about for next year, Shaleise replied: “just playing at the big stadiums and showcasing our talent.”
With her sporting family, speed and skills on the field, this talented forward is certainly one to watch.
