Lachie Keeffe, one-time Hervey Bay soccer player turned AFLQ rookie search graduate, is soon to become Queensland’s oldest AFL player.
Set to turn 35 on 14 April, the GWS utility big man moved into outright second spot on the list on Sunday with a key role in the GWS Giants’ opening round win over Collingwood in Sydney.
Aged 34 years 298 days, Keeffe is just 14 days short of Queensland’s #1 ‘golden oldie’ – Southport junior turned St.Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt. He was 34 years 314 days old at retirement.
Three others played at 34 - ex-Morningside ruckman Warren Jones was 34/285 when he finished his career at Carlton and St.Kilda, journeyman Gold Coaster Ben Hudson, who played at the Western Bulldogs, AdelaIde, Brisbane and Collingwood, retired at 34/146, and Hawthorn goal-kicking champion Jason Dunstall, originally from Coorparoo, was 34/15.
Among 207 Queenslanders all-time, only 20 others played beyond 30:
33: Charlie Dixon (GC/Port), Jason Akermanis (Bris/WB), Jarrod Harbrow (WB/GC)
32: Max Hudghton (StK), Tom Hickey (GC/StK/WC/Syd), Sam Gilbert (StK), Marcus Ashcroft (Bris)
31: Gavin Crosisca (Coll), Sam Reid (WB/GWS), Daniel Merrett (Bris), Matthew Kennedy (Bris), Zac Smith (GC/Geel), David Hale (NM/Haw), Rory Thompson (GC), Mal Michael (Coll/Bris/Ess), Clint Bizzell (Melb/Geel), Michael Voss (Bris)
30: Scott McIvor (Fitz), Michael Osborne (Haw), Matt Eagles (Bris), Clark Keating (Bris), Frank Dunell (Ess/Bris), Kurt Tippett (Adel/Syd).
Keeffe, who carried the Giants ruck division solo against the Magpies on Sunday after Kieren Briggs was injured early, is one of football’s great survivors.
Drafted with pick #69 in the rookie draft of 2008, he has been in the AFL longer than all but six members of the 2025 playing group.
Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood) was drafted in 2005, Port’s Travis Boak and North Melbourne turned Essendon ruckman Todd Goldstein in 2006, and Hawthorn/Bulldogs defender Taylor Duryea, Bulldogs/GWS ironman Callan Ward and Adelaide full forward Taylor Walker in 2007.
Steele Sidebottom (Collingwood), Bulldogs/Carlton defender Liam Jones, St.Kilda/Geelong ruckman Rhys Stanley and Fremantle goalsneak Michael Walters were drafted with Keeffe in 2008.
It is a remarkable story for a player whose introduction to AFL football came via an AFLQ tryout game at Marist College Ashgrove in 2008. He played with some mates to get an afternoon off school.
Later that year he was drafted by Collingwood as an unregistered player, and after time playing with Old Trinity in the amateurs he graduated to the Reserves and debuted in Round 16 2011.
He played 40 games at Collingwood form 2011-14 and since 2018 has now played 77 games with GWS, where he is valued highly for his utility value and his club-first mentality.
GWS coach Adam Kingsley, likely to be without Briggs at least in the short term, described Keeffe’s effort against his former club and the highly-rated Darcy Cameron on Sunday as “an amazing effort”.
"He (Keeffe) did it in Round 22 up in Brisbane (last year) and so I think it's likely (he'll continue in the role),” Kingsley said.
Keeffe was the only Queenslander to play in Opening Round after the Brisbane and Gold Coast games were postponed due to Cyclone Albert.
After the 2024 retirement of Charlie Dixon (Port Adelaide) and the delisting of Noah Cumberland (Richmond), Carter Michael (Brisbane), Brayden Preuss (GWS) and Harry Arnold (Sydney) a total of 37 Queenslanders spread across 12 clubs are on AFL lists this year.
Headed by Gold Coast’s 14 and Brisbane’s 13, they are:
Adelaide (1): Ben Keays
Brisbane (13): Harris Andrews, Levi Ashcroft, Will Ashcroft, Shadeau Brain, Charlie Cameron, Keidean Coleman, Jaspa Fletcher, Ty Gallop, Eric Hipwood, Sam Marshall, Jack Payne, Bruce Reville, Dayne Zorko.
Fremantle (1): Corey Wagner.
Geelong (1): Jack Bowes.
Gold Coast (14): Connor Budarick, Sam Closehy, Alex Davies, Caleb Graham, Will Graham, Lachie Gulbin, Elliott Himmelberg, Leo Lombard, Ethan Read, Jake Rogers, Alex Sexton, Bodhi Uwland, Jed Walter, Lachie Weller.
GWS (1): Lachie Keeffe.
Hawthorn (1): Mabior Chol.
Melbourne (1): Tom Fullarton.
North Melbourne (1): Bailey Scott.
Port Adelaide (1): Aliir Aliir.
Richmond (1): Samson Ryan.
Westen Bulldogs (1): Oskar Baker.
SUBMITTED BY PETER BLUCHER.