Bruce Reville has had an unconventional AFL career journey to date and is grateful for the support he's had to become a premiership player.
The 25-year-old 29-gamer said as much in a post-game interview last week after the Lions posted a thumping 54-point Round 4 win over Collingwood at the Gabba.
Speaking post-game on SEN, he told of his great love and respect for his father, and the support he and his family has shown him over a long and tough journey to AFL ranks. Of the example he was shown which he is now looking to pass on to his young family.
Reville also told of his appreciation for the opportunities that AFL generally and more recently the Lions specifically had given him after he was picked up as a Category B rookie in November 2023 after winning the AFL Queensland Troy Clarke Scholarship all the way back in 2016.
“I’m just loving every day and working hard to repay those who took a chance on me,” he said.
It was a humble and refreshing commentary, but Reville need not worry too much … he’s a much-loved and admired figure within the Lions camp and has gone well beyond the ‘fill-in’ status of his early time at AFL level.
The Easter Thursday game at the Gabba, highlighted by a stream of long, low and powerful Reville kicks inside 50m and topped off by a thumping Reville goal in the closing minutes, was proof that he has very much arrived as an AFL player.
He doesn’t need others to be missing from the side to get a game .. he’s earned it on merit.
So much so that Kate McCarthy, former Lions AFLW star turned well-respected national commentator, last weekend rated Reville the second-best kick inside 50 in the competition behind only Geelong’s Grian Miers.
Right or otherwise, it is confirmation that Reville no longer walks the selection tightrope knowing that one bad game at any stage could see him out of the star-studded Brisbane side.
Reville was one of a host of Queensland stars in Round 4 of the Toyota AFL Premiership Season.
Among 26 homegrown players in action, two Queenslanders polled maximum votes in the AFL Coaches Association Player of the Year Award.
Will Ashcroft was judged best afield in the Lions win over Collingwood after collecting a career-best 36 possessions on top of a game-high six clearances, 15 contested possessions and a goal.
In the same game the ageless Dayne Zorko had 28 possessions and a goal, Levi Ashcroft (25), Jaspa Fletcher (27) and Keidean Coleman (22) won plenty of the ball, and for the second week in a row premiership forward turned defender Ty Gallop did a sterling job in a make-shift back six.
Reville, such a cult figure at the Gabba, had 15 possessions to go with his goal, and Charlie Cameron played through pain after a selfless act on the goal line to shepherd through the major from Kai Lohman, continuing his strong team-first focus.
And at the MCG, Aliir Aliir continued his blistering start to the 2026 campaign with a best afield 10-vote showing in Port Adelaide’s 42-point win over Richmond.
The now 31-year-old key defender, who had a stunning 21 marks against Essendon in Round 2, had a career-high six contested marks and 14 contested possessions, and was one possession short of his career-high of 24.
Aliir’s good day meant a bad day for Richmond’s Samson Ryan, who played his first AFL game since Round 11 last year and, on top of a loss, earned a one-week suspension. The young ruckman had nine possessions and 21 hit-outs but paid a high price for an off-the-ball ‘gut punch’ on Port ruckman Jordan Sweet.
The quietly-spoken and ever-affable Sherwood junior apologised for his actions to Richmond coach Adem Yze post-game.
There was another eye-catching performance by an unheralded Queenslander in a Gold Coast SUNS side beaten by Melbourne by 20 points at the MCG.
In just his second AFL game, and his first at ‘headquarters’, Lachlan Gulbin looked very much at home on the wing with 22 possessions and a goal, plus two goal assists and a team-high eight score involvements.
The 21-year-old SUNS Academy product from the Burleigh Bombers had debuted in Round 24 last year, when he had nine touches in a four-point loss to Port Adelaide that sent the SUNS finals hopes down to the last home-and-away game against Essendon.
Zeke Uwland kicked the first and second goal of his AFL career to go with 16 possessions, and Jed Walter, in his first AFL outing of the season, pulled down a team-high four contested marks and kicked two goals from 10 possessions.
Will Graham had 15 possessions, a goal and six tackles, Bodhi Uwland 24 possessions, Sam Closehy 17 possessions and Jake Rogers eight possessions and a career-high five tackles but was put into concussion protocols and will miss the SUNS’ Gather Round clash against Sydney at Norwood Oval on Saturday afternoon.
In other Queensland highlights from last weekend:
Oskar Baker had a career-best 24 possessions to go with seven score involvements as the Western Bulldogs beat Essendon by 34 points at Marvel Stadium to remain the only unbeaten side, and Connor Budarick continued his strong start at the Western Bulldogs with 21 possessions and six score involvements from half back.
Jack Bowes played his first AFL game of the year for Geelong, contributing 13 possessions, two goals and a team-high three goal assists in their heart-stopping one-point loss to Hawthorn at the MCG, where Mabior Chol finished on the winning side despite a couple of shaky moments late. Chol had 12 possessions and kicked two goals for the Hawks.
Fremantle’s Corey Wagner had 18 possessions in his side’s two-point Adelaide Oval win over the Adelaide Crows.
