Levi Ashcroft has celebrated a moment that was a long time coming with a place in Queensland football history and one of the great Queensland AFL debuts.
That the third member of the Ashcroft family behind father Marcus and brother Will was going to be an AFL star was never in doubt. It was only a question of ‘when’ and many will say if he’d been on the Brisbane list last year he would have played in the premiership.
Now it’s real. And on Saturday the 18-year-old midfielder became the 8th-youngest Queenslander in AFL history, collecting 25 possessions, four clearances and six score involvements in the Lions’ brave four-point SCG win over the Sydney Swans at the SCG.
It was a debut which joins what might be considered the ‘Super Six’ of Queensland debuts.
He played only 76% game time in the 2024 grand final replay but ranked behind only two players on the game stats sheet – and only by two possessions. Teammates Josh Dunkley and Jarrod Berry had 27, while Nick Blakey headed the Sydney count with 24.
And all that after the Lions, almost a week without an outdoor training during Cyclone Albert, had been forced to fly to Sydney on the Wednesday to find some dry turf.
Ashcroft, originally named as the substitute, was only thrust into the starting 22 when Charlie Cameron was a late withdrawal with calf tightness after Sam Day, chosen in the original side, also pulled out for personal reasons.
It was a phenomenal performance in a pressure-cooker environment, and was enough to spark suggestions that on Brownlow Medal night in September the younger Ashcroft could become the first Queenslander to poll in the medal on debut.
On a fabulous weekend for Queensland football, the father/son draftee was an individual standout as the Lions defied extraordinary circumstances to score what coach Chris Fagan rated “one of the great wins” of his career, and the Gold Coast Suns, widely regarded as interstate easybeats in recent years, travelled to Perth to beat the West Coast Eagles by 87 points - the biggest win in club history.
And, at the other end of the age scale, GWS’ Lachie Keeffe, almost twice as old as Ashcroft, had his own fairytale moment when he kicked a goal inside the last minute to give his side a three-point win over Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday.
But Round 1 of the 2025 AFL season, which featured 22 Queenslanders in nine different sides, was all about Ashcroft, who was presented with his jumper pre-match by teammate and older brother Will.
Just 87 days beyond his 18th birthday, he is the youngest Queenslander to play in the AFL since the draft age was increased from 17 to 18 in 2009.
Ironically, second on the all-time youngest Queenslanders list is father Marcus, a 318-game triple premiership hero with the Lions. He was 17 years 243 days on debut to rank behind only his ex-Lions captain Michael Voss, who was 17 years 11 days in his first game in 1992.
The top 10 is:-
1 - Michael Voss (Bris) – 17 years 11 days – 1992
2 - Marcus Ashcroft (Bris) – 17 years 243 days – 1989
3 – Ray Windsor (Bris) – 17 years 338 days - 1990
4 – David & Donald Cockatoo-Collins (Melb) -17 years 364 days -
6 – Marc Woolnough (Geel) – 18 years 31 days -
7 – Jason Akermanis (Bris) – 18 years 58 days - 1995
8 – Levi Ashcroft (Bris) - 18 years 87 days – 2025
9 – Rhan Hooper (Bris) – 18 years 89 days – 2006
10 – Corey Bell (Bris) – 18 years 122 days - 1991
Next on the list, just six days older, is Lions co-captain Harris Andrews at 18 years 128 days.
Just as Voss is #1 on this list, he is arguably #1 on the ‘best debut by a Queenslander’ list. Certainly he is one of the ‘Super Six’, which stand out for individual contribution, circumstances and results.
In chronological order, the pre-Ashcroft members of the Super Six are:-
1. Stephen Lawrence
The South African-born ruck/key forward from Mt.Gravatt, whose father Godfrey had played Test cricket for his home country, had won the Larke Medal as the best player overall in the 1986 Teal Cup (Under 17) carnival, debuted for Queensland the following week, and after a handful of QAFL games with Morningside was snapped up by Hawthorn.
He made his then VFL debut in Round 5 1988 against North Melbourne at the MCG, picking up 25 possessions and kicking five goals from centre half forward in a 77-point win, before going on to play 146 games in a career highlighted by a key role in the 1991 premiership.
2. Steve McLuckie
The 19-year-old ex-Southport wingman debuted for the Bears in Round 2 against Collingwood at Victoria Park, and in a side beaten by 66 points he had 25 possessions and kicked four goals – team-high in both.
This is the only member of the ‘Super Six’ that came in a loss, but so good was he, and so hostile was the Magpies homeground, the Bears 20-gamer and 1991 Reserves premiership player is included.
3. Michael Voss
He would have played AFL football at 16 had club officials not chosen to defer his debut so he could captain Queensland at the Australian Under-17 carnival in 1992, but his AFL debut in Round 18 1992 against Fitzroy at Princes Park was worth the wait.
The then Bears sat at the tail of the ladder, with two wins and a draw from 16 games, as they took on a Fitzroy side a game outside what at the time was the top six.
Brisbane had lost 31 games in a row in Victoria in a nightmare run which went all the way back to Round 21 1989, when, in Marcus Ashcroft’s ninth game, they beat Fitzroy by 13 points at Waverley.
But the inclusion of Voss, wearing jumper #56, sparked a stunning victory. He had a team-high 26 possessions on the wing as the Bears, with Ashcroft Snr and fellow Queenslanders Troy Clarke, Matthew Kennedy, Steve McLuckie and Craig Potter in the side, led at every change and won 16-18 (114) to 10-13 (73).
Clarke had 19 possessions and picked up three Brownlow votes while Rod Owen kicked eight goals for two votes, and Kennedy earned one vote for 16 possessions as the back-up ruckman. Martin Leslie (22), John Gastev (22), Ashcroft (20) and Mark Zanotti (20) were next on the possession list.
4. Che Cockatoo-Collins
Originally from Cairns, he debuted with Essendon in Round 1 1994 when the Bombers, the 1993 premiers, came from 15 points at three-quarter time at the MCG to beat the West Coast Eagles, the 1994 premiers, by three points at the MCG.
Playing his first game in Tim Watson’s 299th, he had 21 possessions and kicked a team-high three goals to win the Round 1 nomination for the AFL Rising Star Award.
Only Mark Mercuri (28), Gavin Wanganeen (25) and captain Gary O’Donnell (24) had more possessions than Cockatoo-Collins, who went on to play 160 games for Essendon and Port Adelaide.
5. Josh Smith
Overlooked in the draft in his teenage years until taken as a rookie in 2015, the former Redland junior debuted for Collingwood on one of the great days in the football calendar – Anzac Day. And produced a performance to match the occasion.
It was Round 5 2016. A crowd of 85,082 packed the MCG for the traditional clash with Essendon, and after leading 8-4 t0 1-1 at quarter time the Pies won by 69 points.
Sharing his debut with American Mason Cox, Smith ranked 6th on the Pies possession count despite playing only 76% game time, collecting 23 possessions and a goal to begin a career which extended to 34 games for Collingwood and West Coast.
It’s a tough call on where Ashcroft’s 25 possessions might rank alongside this illustrious quintet, but given the circumstances, his age and the quality of his performance against the Swans there is no doubt he warrants a place in the conversation of the best Queensland debut.
Seven other Queenslanders have topped 20 possessions on debut:-
1987 – Darren Carlson (Bris) – 26 possessions
2007 – Ricky Petterd (Melb) – 20 possessions, 1 goal
2008 – Gavin Urquhart (NM) – 20 possessions, 1 goal
2017 – Jacob Allison (Bris) – 20 possessions
2019 – Bailey Scott (NM) – 21 possessions, 2 goals
2023 – Bodhi Uwland (GC) – 20 possessions
2024 – Sam Closehy (GC) – 22 possessions, 1 goal
Hawthorn’s Jason Dunstall kicked three goals on debut in 1985 to match the Cockatoo-Collins effort, behind only Lawrence and McLuckie, while Bailey Scott is one of seven Queenslanders to kick two goals in their first AFL game.
In what is one of the great trivia questions, the others were:-
1979 - Frank Dunell (Ess)
2000 – Nathan Clarke (Bris)
2011 – Charlie Dixon (GC)
2011 – Claye Beams (Bris)
2012 – Josh Hall (GC)
2017 – Wylie Buzza (Geel)
In other Queensland highlights from Round 1:-
Every Kid’s Dream
Lachie Keeffe had kicked 19 goals in 117 games prior to last weekend, when he deputised in the ruck for the GWS Giants against Melbourne’s Max Gawn, arguably the #1 ruckman this century. He competed manfully against the odds before a moment he’ll never forget.
It came moments after Melbourne first-gamer Aiden Johnson missed an angle shot to ice it for the Demons. As GWS rushed the ball through the midfield Keeffe pushed forward from the middle of the ground into space and got on the end of a neat pass from Callan Ward.
But that was the easy part. Especially for a player who in 106 of his previous 117 games had not kicked a goal. But from 35m on a 45-degree angle he banged it over the goal umpire’s head to guarantee a win.
Corey’s Career Best
For only the second time in his career born-again Dockers defender Corey Wagner played in his side’s first game of the season, and in a shocking loss to Geelong was one of the Dockers’ few highlights. The now 27-year-old, dumped by North Melbourne and Melbourne before earning a third chance at Fremantle, had a career-best 25 possessions in his 41st game.
A Sizzling Suns Special
In 14 years and 305 games in the AFL the Suns biggest win had been by 86 points over Hawthorn at Carrara in 2017, and outside Queensland they’d played 141 games for 31 wins. And that included six wins from eight games at their adopted ‘second home’ in Darwin.
But on Sunday afternoon, in their 306th game overall, they bettered the 86-point romp of eight years ago and took a seriously big first step on a mission to eradicate the interstate blues.
They obliterated West Coast 20-16 (136) to 7-7 (49) at Perth Stadium in the club’s biggest win.
It was a side which included eight Queenslanders Connor Budarick, Sam Closehy, Ethan Reid, Will Graham, Bodhi Uwland and Jake Rogers enjoyed their first win in Perth, and Lachie Weller looked every bit his former self after a horrid run with injury.
Weller, in a new role on the wing, had 21 possessions, three clearances, six tackles and six score involvements, while Rogers kicked a career-high three goals, Reid a equal career-high two goals, and Graham nine possessions, a goal, two goal assists and seven tackles.
And Uwland, runner-up in the B&F last year in a performance which did not receive adequate recognition across the competition, added a further dimension to his armoury when he played on a ‘tall’ after the loss of Charlie Ballard due to injury.
SUBMITTED BY PETER BLUCHER