Five Southport Sharks QAFLW players were drafted on Monday Night, at the 2025 Telstra AFLW Draft.
Sunny Lappin (Pick 4), Georja Davies (Pick 9), Mikayla Nurse (Pick 13), Dekota Baron (Pick 15) and Rhianna Ingram (Pick 44) were all drafted by the Gold Coast Suns.
The Southport Sharks have now had 21 players signed by AFLW clubs since the inception of their senior women’s program in 2020.
Sunny Lappin played over 50 games as a Southport Junior, before graduating to senior football. She won a premiership with the Reserves in 2024 and in 2025, Lappin played in the Senior Premiership team and won the best-on-ground medal for her contribution, with 30 disposals, six marks, eight clearances, three tackles and two goals.
Georja Davies is the fourth in her family to get drafted from Southport. Davies is also a Southport Junior and made her QAFLW Senior debut as a 16-year-old.
In 2024 and 2025, she played in the QAFLW Senior Premiership teams and was awarded the most consistent player in 2024.
Mikayla Nurse who is originally from the Jimboomba Redbacks also played for the Southport Juniors before joining the senior women’s program.
In 2024, Nurse played in the QAFLW Reserves Premiership team and was awarded best on ground.
This season, she played in the QAFLW Seniors Premiership team.
Dekota Baron, who was a Broadbeach Junior, joined the Sharks ahead of the 2024 season.
In 2024, Baron was a Senior Premiership Player, won the QAFLW Rising Star Award as well as QAFLW Mark of the Year. In 2025, she was also a Senior Premiership Player.
Rhianna Ingram, played a couple of seasons of Juniors at Southport, making the move from her original club Pacific Pines Power.
In 2024, she was a QAFLW Reserves Premiership Player, and in 2025 she played in the QAFLW Seniors Premiership team.
Southport’s General Manager of Football Operations Jarrod Field said, “Having five of our QAFLW players drafted in one night is an incredible outcome for our club and a real credit to the environment we’ve built within our women’s program.”
“It reinforces Southport’s role as a genuine pathway club and highlights the standard of football and development our players are exposed to.”
“We’re excited to watch them take the next step and wish each of them nothing but success as they move into the AFLW.”
