Lyons Becomes an Eagle

Subiaco’s own Tess Lyons has taken another step forward in her remarkable career, having been officially signed with the West Coast Eagles into the AFLW as a replacement player last week. On Friday, just days later, the 27-year-old wore the blue and gold in a practice match against St. Kilda, donning the No. 28 and playing footy at the highest professional level for the first time.

But Tess’s journey to this point was not a standard one. First seen at an amateur level when she started playing for University in the PFL in 2018, she quickly began making waves, moving into the A Grade squad before season’s end and playing in University’s Premiership-winning side in her first year. After representing the PFL in a composite side against the WACFL in 2021, she finally debuted for Subiaco in the 2022 WAFLW season and established herself as one of the league’s best rucks, with 687 hitouts across her 34 WAFLW games. Inducted into Subi’s leadership in 2023, she proved to be an indispensable member of the squad and an effective leader.

Her 2024 season represented a year of significant improvement, impacting every game and becoming a vital cog in Subiaco’s gameplay. Tess’s agility sets her apart from other rucks in the competition, being able to not only effectively ruck but also aggressively force herself into the contest. Averaging 10.3 touches per game this year, a career best, Tess is only getting better and better every year and the Subiaco family cannot wait to see where her career goes from here.