Imagine a team with Harris Andrews and Mal Michael in the key defensive posts, Nick Riewoldt and Eric Hipwood up forward, and a midfield led by Jamie Charman, Dayne Beams and Will Ashcroft. We’ll call it the Queensland Rising Star All-Stars.
It’s topical this week after the Lions’ Levi Ashcroft won the Round 4 nomination for the 2025 Telstra AFL Rising Star Award.
Ashcroft was the 33rd Queenslander nominated for the award since it’s introduction in 1993, and, with brother Will, completes the second pair of brothers nominated from Queensland after Dayne and Claye Beams.
Brisbane now have 10 nominees to head the list from Gold Coast (5), North Melbourne (3), Adelaide (2), Collingwood (2), Richmond (2), St.Kilda (2), Carlton (1), Essendon (1), Fremantle (1), Hawthorn (1), Melbourne (1), Sydney (1) and Western Bulldogs (1).
That leaves only Geelong, Port Adelaide and West Coast yet to produce a nominee.
Picking a notional All-Star line-up makes for a wonderful walk down football’s memory lane. But it presents a challenge in comparing those who have finished their AFL career with those who are closer to the beginning. But a team chosen from the 33 nominees might look like this:
B: Bodhi Uwland (GC), Mal Michael (Coll), Sam Gilbert (StK)
HB: Robert Copeland (Bris), Harris Andrews (Bris), Lachie Weller (Frem)
C: Bailey Scott (NM), Will Ashcroft (Bris), Jaspa Fletcher (Bris)
HF: Michaell Osborne (Haw), Nick Riewoldt (StK), Che Cockatoo-Collins (Ess)
F: Charlie Cameron (Adel), Eric Hipwood (Bris), Kurt Tippett (Adel)
R: Jamie Charman (Bris), Andrew Raines (Rich), Dayne Beams (Coll).
INT: Zac Smith (GC), Tom Williams (WB), Jesse White (Syd), Levi Ashcroft (Bris),
EMERG: Steven Lawrence (Bris), Brett Backwell (Carl), Brad Moran (NM), Cheynee Stiller (Bris), Gavin Urquhart (NM), Claye Beams (Bris), Ricky Petterd (Melb), Noah Cumberland (Rich), Will Graham (GC), Jake Rogers (GC), Connor Budarick (GC).
No less than 12 of the nominees later switched from the clubs were they were nominated.
Levi Ashcroft was nominated in his fourth game overall and his first at the MCG after he had 22 possessions and a goal in Brisbane’s 28-point win over Richmond last Saturday.
Who is the only Queenslander nominated on debut? It was the first nominee from the Sunshine State in Round 1 1994 – Che Cockatoo-Collins.
Ricky Petterd, Will Ashcroft and Jake Rogers were nominated in their second game, Brett Backwell and Connor Budarick their third, and Steven Lawrence, Cheynee Stiller and now Levi Ashcroft in their fourth. Noah Cumberland, delisted by Richmond last year, was nominated in his fifth game in 2022.
Riewoldt, the only player drafted at #1 out of the Queensland football system, is also the only Queenslander to win the Rising Star Award. He polled 34 votes in 2002 to beat West Coast’s Chris Judd (29), Hawthorn’s Luke Hodge (12) and Port Adelaide’s Shaun Burgoyne (10).
Five other Queenslanders have finished top five. They are-
Andrew Raines was runner-up to Port Adelaide’s Danyle Pearce in 2006. Pearce polled 43 votes from Richmond’s Raines (33) and Collingwood’s Heath Shaw (32).
Dayne Beams was fourth in 2009 when Brisbane’s Daniel Rich (45) beat Adelaide’s Andy Ottens (30), Essendon’s Tayte Pears (28) and Beams (10).
Zac Smith was third in the Suns’ first season in the AFL in 2011. He polled 21 votes to finish behind Essendon’s Dyson Heppell (44) and West Coast’s Luke Shuey (37).
Eric Hipwood was fifth in 2017, polling six votes to finish behind Essendon’s Andy McGrath (51), Hawthorn’s Ryan Burton (41), Port’s Sam Powell-Pepper (35) and Carlton’s Charlie Curnow (27).
And Will Ashcroft was runner-up in 2023, when he was a raging favorite until a season-ending knee injury in Round 19. He finished with 39 votes to sit behind North’s Harry Sheezel (54) and ahead of St.Kilda’s Mitch Owens (33) and Fremantle’s Jye Amiss (28).
SUBMITTED BY PETER BLUCHER