At just 20 years of age, with only three seasons under her belt, Bella Lewis has already become one of West Coast’s most decorated AFLW players.
Taken with pick No. 3 in the 2020 draft, Lewis debuted in 2021, AFLW Season Five, and made club history when she was awarded Club Champion and Best First Year Player in the same season.
Ahead of her fourth season in the blue and gold, Lewis was voted into the leadership group as vice-captain by her teammates, an honour she said she is grateful for.
“It’s a really special feeling to be voted in by your peers,” Lewis said.
“I’ve been trying my best to get better with my leadership over the years, and although it may have come a bit earlier than I expected, it’s something I’m really grateful for.
“I’ll definitely keep learning off ‘Swanny’ (Emma Swanson), ‘Hooks’ (Dana Hooker), ‘Aish’ (Aisling McCarthy), ‘Sedge’ (Jess Sedunary) and the other leaders within the team.”
Joining West Coast as an 18-year-old, Lewis found herself having to mature quite quickly, and said she leaned on her older teammates for support and advice.
“When I was going from my second to third year, I was growing out of the infancy stage of being a new draftee, and for me, that came quite quickly.
“I’m only 20 but I’m basically considered a senior player now, and with that came some pressure and I remember leaning on ‘Hooks’, ‘Swanny’ and ‘Aish’, asking them the same question about how they dealt with the pressure.
“’Hooks’ has got a kid and a job outside of footy, ‘Swanny’ is a fire fighter, ‘Aish’ is living far away from home, so they all deal with it in different ways.
“I think the main take away from it was acknowledging that the pressure is always there but to use it to your advantage, it will always be there, but you can put it into your game and use that to help other people.”
Lewis, a WA local and Claremont Tigers product, said she is focused on improving the consistency in her game.
“The first couple of years I feel that I was making a lot of mistakes, and caring a lot about the mistakes I was making,” Lewis said.
“Now that I’ve gotten a bit older and into my fourth season, I’m hopefully doing more right than I am wrong.
“I think it’s just about keeping that consistent and continue to try to consistently perform at a high level, which is my main goal.”
Just one month out from round one of the 2023 NAB AFLW season, Lewis said the team has been working hard in the pre-season and are ready to play.
“It’s been lots of hard work, the girls are tracking really well,” Lewis said.
“We’ve got a fit group, we’ve got a more competitive group which is what we’ve been instilling in the training which is looking really good.
“The girls are ready to play and the bodies are looking good, they’re strong, they’re fit and ready to go.”
With the Eagles retaining a vast majority of its players from last season, Lewis said the bonds and connections within the group are going from strength to strength.
“Last year, at the stage we were at, we thought we were really close, and this year is just another level,” Lewis said.
“The closeness of the group is already there and already strong and it’s a really natural connection, a lot of the girls had all played together already.
“A lot of us are around the same age, and that has a strong influence that I think we will see on the field.”
