Corey Wagner, one of Queensland football’s great survivors, had a special personal highlight amid an unmitigated Fremantle Dockers disaster last weekend.
Wagner had a whopping 16 tackles – a Fremantle record and second-best all-time by a Queenslander in the AFL behind only David Armitage. Ironically, he had 17 for St.Kilda against Fremantle at Marvel Stadium in 2016.
Playing his 45th game in a career which started in 2016, 28-year-old Wagner was a rare shining light in a Fremantle side that suffered one of the worst defeats in club history.
Late in the third quarter he had as many tackles as St.Kilda points – 15 – and only three ‘junk time’ goals in the final quarter saw the Dockers score reach 33.
But nothing could camouflage the ineptitude of the Fremantle performance. It was a meek capitulation in a game billed as a test of credentials for a side that has long been considered a good side in Perth but easybeats interstate. An ‘F’ for failure.
Wagner, at least, could hold his head high. And had coach Justin Longmuir not moved him from the midfield at three quarter and sent him to play on dangerman Jack Higgins in the final term he would most likely have bettered the Armitage mark.
Still, his 16 tackles bettered the Fremantle record of 14 set by Michael Barlow in 2010, equalled by Chris Mayne in 2015, Barlow again in 2016 and Caleb Serong in 2022.
It would have bettered the club record at Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon and Richmond and equalled it at Melbourne, and was only four short of the all-time mark since tackle statistics were introduced in 1987.
The record is 20 set by Adelaide’s Rory against Collingwood at Adelaide Oval in 2022. North Melbourne’s Jack Ziebell, Sydney’s Jude Bolton and the Western Bulldogs’ Tom Liberate have had 19 tackles in a game.
That Wagner is still playing in the AFL – and playing the best football of his career – is a wonderful story of a product of the Brisbane Lions Academy, grandson of Queensland Football Hall of Famer Gary Wager, son of one-time Brisbane Bears development squad captain, and brother of ex-Melbourne player Josh Wagner.
He was originally drafted at pick #41 in the 2015 National Draft when the Lions opted not to match a bid on him from North Melbourne.
He played eight AFL games at North in 2016-17 before being de-listed, and joined Melbourne in the pre-season supplementary period ahead of the 2019 season.
He played 11 games with the Demons from 2019-20 before being delisted again.
But after playing well for Port Melbourne in the VFL he was drafted by Fremantle with pick #57 in the 2022 National Draft, and has made his third chance a winner.
After nine games in ’23, including the last six games of the year, he shrugged off early season injury woes in 2024 to become a well-performed regular through 12 games in the back end of last season.
Enjoying first-time fatherhood, sporting a big bushy beard and wearing jumper #34, he’s had game-by-game possession counts of 24-20-6-16-13 in five games this year, having been injured and subbed out in Round 4.
Having seen fellow 2015 draftees Daniel Rioli and Clayton Oliver play 190 games, Jacob Weitering 189, Tom Papley 188, Eric Hipwood and Harry Himmelberg 185, he’s putting on a show of his own.
Next best on the Queensland all-time tackle list behind Armitage (17) and Wagner (16) are Gold Coast’s Will Graham (14), Adelaide’s Ben Keays (13), Brisbane’s Cheynee Stiller (12), Gold Coast’s Alex Davies (12) and Dayne Beams, who had 11 tackles in a game for Brisbane and Collingwood.
Others in double-figures have been Gold Coast’s Lachie Weller (11), GWS’ Sam Reid (11), Brisbane’s Marcus Ashcroft (10), Gold Coast’s Zac Smith (10) and Jack Bowes (10), St.Kilda’s Sam Gilbert (10) and Carlton’s Tom Bell (10).
Wagner was one of 21 Queenslanders to play in Round 8 of the AFL season when local eyes were on Q-Clash #28 between the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Suns at the Gabba.
A sell-out and record Q-Clash crowd 33,612 braved inclement weather to see the Lions make it 13 wins from the last 14 games between the two clubs.
The final 17-point margin flattered the Suns, who were beaten badly at clearance and contest and needed three late goals in the final term for a final scoreline of 9-12 (66) to 7-7 (49).
It was a family affair as Will Ashcroft won the Marcus Ashcroft Medal for a sizzling best-on-ground performance, with Levi Ashcroft, in his Q-Clash debut, also among his side’s best.
Will, playing his 39th game ahead of his 21st birthday tomorrow (Wednesday), was the second-youngest player to win the medal named in his father’s honor behind Gold Coast’s Touk Miller, who won the first of his four medal in his 33rd game aged 20 years 138 days.
Coming off 35 possessions against St.Kilda in Round 7, he had 34 possessions, including a career-high 17 contested possessions, to go with nine clearances and five score involvements.
The coaches endorsed his medal win, giving him nine votes in the AFL Coaches Association Player of the Year Award. Other votes went to Lions Josh Dunkley (8), Lachie Neale (5), Hugh McCluggage (4) and Jack Payne (2), and the Suns’ Mac Andrew (2).
Payne, who missed the game against the Saints with illness, did a sensational job in restricting the Suns’ Ben King, who had led the Coleman Medal race going into the match, to one kick, one handball and one goal.
Levi Ashcroft had a personal-best 29 possessions with three clearances and four score involvements, while, importantly for the Lions, Charlie Cameron bounced back to his best with three goals.
He’d gone three games in a row without a goal, but could easily have had five goals to go with a game-high three contested marks and six score involvements.
Eric Hipwood had a game far above his statistics of 12 possession, four tackles and three score involvements. His four tackles were all in the first quarter as he set the tone for the game, and his presence was outstanding.
And at the other end of the ground, Harris Andrews was his usual calm and cool self, leading a Brisbane defence that gave the young Gold Coast forward line little.
Jaspa Fletcher continued to impress with 21 possessions across half back playing alongside Dayne Zorko (23 possessions).
Bodhi Uwland was best of the Queenslanders in the Suns side with 20 possessions after Lachie Weller was subbed out with a hamstring problem in the first quarter.
There were a record 15 Queenslanders in Q-Clash #28 – the Ashcroft brothers, Payne, Cameron, Hipwood, Andrews, Fletcher and Zorko for Brisbane, and Uwland, Weller, Jed Walter, Ethan Read, Jake Rogers, Will Graham and Connor Budarick for the Gold Coast.
Ben Keays also had a winning weekend, collecting 12 possessions and two goals in Adelaide’s 60-point thumping of Carlton at Adelaide Oval, and Mabior Chol had 11 possessions, two goals and seven score involvements as Hawthorn beat Richmond by 65 points at the MCG.
Jack Bowes, now at Geelong, had 23 possessions as the Cats hung on to beat Collingwood by three points at the MCG, Aliir Aliir had seven disposals as Port copped a 90-point hiding from the Western Bulldogs in Ballarat, and Bailey Scott made a frustrating return to the North side against Essendon at Marvel Stadium after a stint in the AFL, starting as the sub and playing only 50% game time for his three possessions.
Submitted by Peter Blucher