Eleven Queenslanders will play this weekend for the greatest thrill on offer in the AFL – a Grand Final berth.
Tonight Cairns junior turned Gold Coast SUNS Academy graduate Jack Bowes will play for Geelong in the first preliminary at the MCG against Mabior Chol, born in South Sudan, raised in Egypt and a footballer at Acacia Ridge via the Lions Academy, Yeronga, Aspley and AFL clubs Richmond, Gold Coast and now Hawthorn.
It will be Bowes’ fourth final and his second preliminary final in his 142nd game overall for Geelong, and Chol’s sixth final and his first preliminary final in his 108th game with Hawthorn.
At 5.15pm on Saturday nine Queenslanders will play for the Brisbane Lions in the other preliminary final against Collingwood, who are without any Queensland flavour.
It will be the next step in a first-year fairytale for Lions teenagers Levi Ashcroft, Sam Marshall and Ty Gallop.
Eighteen-year-old Ashcroft has not missed a game and will play his third final, while 19-year-old Marshall, who at Round 19 had played just once at AFL level, will play his 10th game after a late season surge in which he’s been a fixture in the side from Round 19.
And Gallop will be pinching himself as he runs out onto the MCG in his fifth game. He debuted in Round 13, played his second game in the final home-and-away game, his first final in his third game in the qualifying final against Geelong, and his fourth game last week against Gold Coast.
Bruce Reville will play his second final and his first at the MCG in his 24th game overall, having made his finals debut last week.
Completing the Queensland line-up will be 2024 premiership players Harris Andrews, Dayne Zorko, Charlie Cameron, Will Ashcroft and Jaspa Fletcher.
Cameron will play his 26th final to pull within two of Queensland finals record-holder Jason Akermanis at 28, and extended his lead over Jason Dunstall (21), Dale Hale (21), Marcus Ashcroft (19) and Michael Voss (19).
Andrews and Zorko will play their 19th final.
A total of 58 Queenslanders have played in an AFL preliminary final – an occurrence which has been become more common since 1994 since the League adjusted the finals system to play two grand final qualifiers.
Prior to then there was only one each year.
Queenslanders to play in an AFL preliminary final have been:-
7 – Jason Akermanis
6 – David Hale
5 – Nick Riewoldt, Clark Keating, Charlie Cameron
4 – Marcus Ashcroft, Michael Voss, Harris Andrews, Dayne Zorko, Eric Hipwood, Mal Michael, Max Hudghton, Dayne Beams, Robert Copeland
3 – Kurt Tippett, Aliir Aliir, Sam Gilbert, Jack Payne, Che Cockatoo-Collins, Ben Hudson, Brett Voss, Mitch Hahn, Jarrod Harbrow, Charlie Dixon, Matthew Kennedy.
2 – Jason Dunstall, Steven Handley, Keidean Coleman, Michael Osborne, Lee Spurr, Josh Thomas, Brendan Whitecross, Lachie Keeffe, Jaspa Fletcher, Zac Smith, Mark West, Zane Taylor.
1 – Tom Hickey, Warren Jones, Stephen Lawrence (Haw), Sam Reid, Frank Dunell, Steven Lawrence (Bris/StK), Jesse White, Jamie Charman, Trent Knobel, Will Ashcroft, Danny Dickfos, Scott McIvor, Daniel Pratt, Brent Renouf, David Armitage, Gary Shaw, Trevor Spencer, Tom Williams, Jack Bowes, Aaron Keating.
In the SANFL this weekend, ex-Lions listee Connor McFadyen and Casey Voss, son of ex-Lions captain Michael Voss, will play for Sturt in the Grand Final against Glenelg. Ex-Lions Grand Final player Jarryd Lyons will play for Glenelg, who are the defending premiers, with brother Corey, who was formerly on the Lions list.
In the VFL grand final, Lions Academy graduate and Wilston-Grange/Aspley junior Oskar Baker will play with the Western Bulldogs against a Southport side overloaded with Queenslanders.
Ex-AFL players in the Southport side are Wylie Buzza (Geelong), Jay Lockhart (Melbourne), Zac Foot (Sydney), Brayden Crossley, Jacob Dawson, Jesse Joyce, Max Spencer and Hewago Oea (Gold Coast), and Hugh Dixon (Fremantle).