Leo Lombard has already claimed a ‘first’ among Queensland AFL players. He’s the first Leo. Or the first ‘Leonardo’ as the Gold Coast SUNS and AFL websites call him.
At 19 the Burleigh Bombers junior and SUNS Academy product has played 14 AFL games – including all 10 this year - packed with an eye-catching mix of skill and sizzle, energy and excitement.
So much so that Lombard, taken at pick #9 in the 2024 AFL National Draft and already contracted to the end of 2027 under draft regulations, has added a further three years to his SUNS deal.
Averaging 13.7 possessions and 2.2 tackles per game this year, with six goals, he’s now locked in until the end of 2030 and shapes as a key plank in the SUNS’ long-term plans.
While at face value his basic statistics are not exactly mind-blowing, a deeper look at more team-specific statistics show why he’s won the faith of SUNS coach Damien Hardwick.
For defensive pressure acts, fundamental to the Hardwick game plan, Lombard is ranked #54 across the entire competition at 17.4 per game, and #3 at the SUNS behind only Matt Rowell (24.0 per game) and Alex Davies (17.7 per game).
Rowell is #2 in the League behind West Coast’s Jack Graham at 27.0 pressure acts per game.
Lombard’s game-by-game pressure acts count from Opening Round reads 18-14-12-16-10-16-31-21-19-17. He’s ranked in the SUNS top three seven times in 10 games, with his career-high of 31 against Hawthorn when he shared top spot with Rowell.
In a side overloaded with pure talent and still looking to establish a working balance between the ball-winning elite and role players, Lombard’s role is deeply valued by the SUNS.
His 17 pressure acts against Port Adelaide in Darwin last weekend helped deliver a player rating of 16.8 – seventh highest in the game behind the Power’s Zac Butters (22.0), Suns pair Noah Anderson (20.2) and John Noble (19.5), the Power’s Joel Berry (18.9), SUN Ned Moyle (18.6) and the Power’s Willem Drew (16.8).
He also had 18 possessions and nine contested possessions – both career high - plus four inside 50’s, six score involvements, two direct goal assists and one goal.
While the websites insist on calling him ‘Leonardo’, Lombard is ‘Leo’ to his mates. And the only ‘Leo’ to play for any club in the AFL outside the original Melbourne-based clubs of the old VFL.
And although it’s not a big field, by the time his new contract expires he will have pushed right up the all-Leo games list across the AFL.
There have only been six 100-game Leo’s in AFL history, headed by Sydney 2005 premiership hero Leo Barry at 237.
Leo Merrett, a 1943 Richmond premiership player, played 170 games, and Leo Wescott, a member of Collingwood’s 1927-29 premiership sides, played 143 games. Geelong’s Leo Turner, father of Cats Team of the Century wingman Michael Turner, played 130 games including the 1951-52 flags. Hawthorn’s Leo Murphy played 132 games in the 1930’s and Leo Ryan played 119 games with the Bulldogs, then Footscray, in the 1930’s.
Two other players named Leo have won a premiership - Collingwood 82-gamer Leo Morgan played in the 1935-36 premierships, and Richmond 96-gamer Leo Maguire was a member of their 1943 premiership side.
Fellow Queenslander Bodhi Uwland was another SUNS star in their 25-point win over Port, which stretched their winning run in Darwin to 10 over the past five years.
Uwland had a career-high 31 possessions – his first 30-possession game – to share top billing in the Coach’s Association Player of the Year Award with teammate John Noble. Both received eight votes.
Jed Walter kicked an equal career-high three goals for the SUNS, but fellow Queenslanders Lachie Weller and Will Graham were out of the game before halftime. Weller did a hamstring and Graham suffered concussion.
Adelaide’s Ben Keays was the only other Queenslander to enjoy a win in Round 10 as he had 17 possessions and kicked two goals in their 68-point win over North Melbourne at Adelaide Oval.
The other standout was Brisbane’s Levi Ashcroft, who had who 28 possessions and a goal in their 41-point Gabba loss to Geelong. He polled one vote from the coaches with fellow Queenslander Charlie Cameron, who kicked three goals.
