FOR Brisbane Lions supporters of a certain vintage, the name Lappin needs little introduction, with Nigel Lappin at the heart of one of the greatest eras in AFL history, playing 279 games for the Brisbane Bears and Lions and winning three consecutive premierships from 2001 to 2003.
More than two decades later, another Lappin is wearing Lions colours after his 18-year-old daughter Meg became the first father-daughter selection in Brisbane Lions history when the club secured the athletic Geelong Falcons product with pick 59 in the 2025 AFLW Draft.
“I definitely think there’s a fair bit of pressure on me to perform well and kind of follow in his footsteps,” Lappin said.
“But since I’ve been here, I’m just trying to make my own journey at the club and do what I can here to make a name for myself as well.
“Moving states to be on an AFLW list is just unreal, and not many people get the opportunity to do so.”
She has also had twin sister Ally alongside her for the move north, making the transition from Victoria considerably easier.
Meg’s first season at the Lions has, however, required patience, with an injury keeping her sidelined since the beginning of pre-season and delaying her push towards an AFLW debut.
“It was a stress injury in my shin,” she said.
“It was a low-grade one, but I have been out since the start of pre-season, so I’ve not had much training under my belt since I’ve been here.
“But I think just still being in the environment, you can learn so much – being in the team meetings, being around those older girls.
“As much as I have missed being out there training, I’m still involved in it all.”
Lappin returned to practice scrimmage on the weekend and is now gradually increasing her training load.
“I’m slowly going up each week, so hopefully I’ll be back to fully being out there soon,” she said.
“But missing a whole pre-season, I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself for this season.”
Even without playing, the teenager has already discovered the difference between junior football and life inside one of the AFLW’s elite programs.
“The past couple of weeks I’ve been back at training and I think it’s just such a big step up, the skill level,” she said.
“Each year the AFLW is just growing and it’s just an amazing learning environment to be in.
“There are so many older girls and a fair few different age groups in an AFLW team, and some that have been there for 10 years. They just hold so much knowledge.
“Lions is such a competitive team that we do the little things, the one-percenters.
“Being in that elite environment is just so cool, and I know you can improve so much from being in this space.”
