AFLW Draft: Meet Lucy Ashcroft, the younger sister of Will and Levi who’s been picked in the Brisbane Lions academy

Forget Marcus, Will and Levi, there’s another 15-year-old Ashcroft sibling who is tracking toward stardom. ELIZA REILLY speaks to Lucy at a major checkpoint in her footy journey.

From the family that brought you triple premiership hero Marcus, Norm Smith medallist Will and top 5 draft pick Levi, meet aspiring AFLW starlet Lucy Ashcroft.

She might end up being the best of all three. And she’s one step closer towards joining her brothers in maroon.

After moving back to Queensland with her family at the start of the year, it can be revealed that the youngest Ashcroft has been picked in Brisbane’s Under-16s academy, the first checkpoint on her journey to the 2027 AFLW draft.

And that’s exactly where she wants to end up.

“It would be my dream to play in the AFLW one day,” Ashcroft told this masthead. “When I first got my Academy training gear, I was so grateful.

“I said to Dad it was a dream come true. Watching the boys play, I aspire to be half the player they are.

“Hopefully we can all one day pull on a Lions guernsey. To be wearing the same colours, it’s very special.”

Will, Lucy and Levi will Ashcroft in Brisbane colours. Picture: Brisbane Lions

Officially, Lucy first started playing footy at Southport when she was six years old. There wasn’t a girls team back then but she was one of eight playing for the boys.

Unofficially, the 15-year-old has been a footballer a lot longer than that.

“We always used to play in the backyard at half-time of the footy or after school,” she said. “Back then, we had a massive oval with posts set up.

“They didn’t treat me any differently. I’ve always been tough on the boys and they’ve been tough on me.

“They’ve shaped me into the player I am today. They’ve had a massive impact on my journey.”

When the Ashcrofts moved to Melbourne in 2019, Lucy joined St Kilda City Junior Football Club.

Despite being a year younger than the rest of the girls in her Under-12s team, her then-coach Jamie Howden said Ashcroft slotted right in.

“You could immediately tell she was going to be a great addition to the group,” Howden said. “She had a great affinity with the game.

“If you didn’t know she was an Ashcroft, you wouldn’t notice any difference in the way she went about it. She was just one of the girls.

“It was obvious that she had a lot of talent. Her lack of physical size didn’t present any issues at all in terms of her willingness to embrace the physicality of football. She’s up there with the most competitive players on the field.

“From the very first game, she stood out as one of the top few players in the team.”

Lucy started out playing in the boys team. Picture: Supplied.

Lucy showed potential at an early age for Southport. Picture: Supplied.

Football has always been a family affair for the Ashcrofts and that rang true last year when mum Bekky coached St Kilda JFC’s Under-16s girls team.

“She’d usually get the runner to come out and tell me things,” Lucy joked. “I wasn’t happy about a few of them! But I definitely enjoyed it.

“She has a lot of knowledge. Everyone says we get our footy from our dad but really she’s just as educated as him.”

Ashcroft was also picked in the 2024 South Metro Junior Football League representative team and played three exhibition games against Melbourne’s other junior pipelines.

She did it all while playing representative netball for Sandringham, a sport she only started playing four years ago when her friends suggested her football skills would transfer well.

In turn, netball has taken Ashcroft’s marking to the next level. Her tackling, vision and football IQ are also among her best assets.

The more pressing question is what sort of player Lucy could become given she has the traits to line up anywhere and have an impact.

Ashcroft prefers the midfield. But Brisbane Lions Academy boss Scott Pyle believes she’s also capable of playing on a wing or at half-forward.

“She performed strongly in our trial matches,” Pyle said. “Her in-close hands, creativity and vision are elite like her brothers and she’s a neat footballer.

“She sees the game really well. She’s a very polished player.”

Levi, Lucy and Levi in the lead up to the 2015 grand final. Picture: Supplied.

Ashcroft isn’t the only famous surname to grace the Lions academy. This year, Clark Keating’s and Trent Croad’s daughters Claudia and Sierra will also line up at the National Championships in April.

There will also be plenty of chances for the girls to rub shoulders with Brisbane’s all-conquering AFLW team.

“It’s an exciting period for the football club,” Pyle said. “To see Brisbane kids playing for Brisbane is really important.”

Ashcroft will be eligible for Brisbane’s Under-18s academy at the end of the year. In the meantime, she’ll return to Southport and attempt to brush off the pressure that comes with being the First Lady of one of football’s most famous families.

“I do feel a bit of pressure inside me when I’m playing footy thinking I’m carrying the family name,” Lucy admitted. “But they always remind me I’m just as good as them and I can do anything I put my mind to.

“It would be cool to flip it on its head and say they’re my brothers. But they’re my number one supporters.

“I want to keep building and keep training with Dad in the backyard every day to take my footy to the next level. The Lions program has been next level. They’ve all welcomed me straight away.”

Now, all eyes will be on the 2027 AFLW draft to see if the Ashcroft prophecy can be fulfilled.

“I’m rapt for her that she gets to tread her own path and not just be the boys’ sister,” Pyle said. “While she’ll forever be an Ashcroft, it’s her footy journey.

“She’s been the sister of the two famous brothers. Now it’s her turn to step out of their shadows.

“What a story for the Ashcrofts but also the Brisbane Lions footy club. It’s hard to put it into words. It would be unique. It would be special.

”To have every sibling playing at the top level for one club would be an emotional moment.”

Originally published as AFLW Draft: Meet Lucy Ashcroft, the younger sister of Will and Levi who’s been picked in the Brisbane Lions academy