QUEENSLAND’S 2022 Under 18 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Alana Gee has had many an onlooker remark ‘Gee, she can play’ over the years. It likely only made her name easier to remember as those in the know jotted it down. With her junior career completed, the Gold Coast Suns Academy talent now has her sights set on earning even more fans at the top level of women’s football.

“The draft is coming up so hopefully I can get picked up, that’s my goal this year,” Gee said during this year’s AFLW Under 18 National Championships.

The Sunshine State standout hails from Mackay, but has strengthened her ties to the Suns Academy with a move south, also joining Southport in the QAFLW competition. While relatively well travelled, Gee’s footballing journey is still evolving and the 18-year-old has come to love “all aspects” of footy in quick time.

“This is my third year (of football), she said. “At high school we had a little comp and me and my friend just joined it for fun and I fell in love with it. I played soccer for seven years… I just loved the aspects of footy like tackling, and especially the friendships you make, it’s so good.

“The Suns have really come a long way and I think Sam (Iles) our head coach for Queensland and the Suns, has really helped me personally develop my footy which is good.”

Claiming “no favourites” when it comes to teammates in the Queensland setup, Gee has thrived among the tight-knit representative environment. While squeezed out to a wing in last year’s Under 19 carnival, she took over the mantle of prime mover in this year’s squad and was rightly crowned her state’s MVP.

Averages of 24 disposals and four clearances across her three games in the famous Maroon also lead to All-Australian selection, full justifying her AFLW Academy honours coming into 2022. Gee was named on the wing in that side and looked polished as ever in the Academy’s showcase game against the assembly of Under 23 All Star talent.

Though her plaudits have proven rich over the last couple of years, the ultra-competitive Gee maintains she has plenty of “room for improvement” – including one aspect she assessed as “absolutely shocking” after her game against Vic Metro in April.

“I think that I just have good vision and my kicks are alright,” she said with modesty. “I definitely need to improve on my defensive transition, and my tackles also need to improve.”

The 170cm midfielder has mixed it with the best, and is arguably among them now that her junior commitments have come to a close. Next, she can look forward to the National Draft Combine before hopefully hearing her name called out by Gold Coast Suns staff on draft day. She’s set on staying in Queensland – music to the ears of Suns fans.