Gold Coast’s top draft pick Leo Lombard firms for Opening Round debut after impressive pre-season

Gold Coast’s first pick in last year’s draft is closing in on an early-season debut after impressing in his first pre-season under Damien Hardwick’s watch.

Gold Coast Suns small forward Leo Lombard is in the box seat to make an Opening Round AFL debut after a superb start to life as an AFL player that has left teammates and coaches singing his praises.

Lombard, 18, is one of the most ready-made players of last year’s draft class combining speed, power and skill in a physically mature body that belies his young age.

“He’s a bit like a Tassie devil, just trying to get in there amongst it,” teammate Jed Walter said of the 2024 No. 9 draft pick.

“He’s been unbelievable. The way he tackles is quite scary sometimes.

“He’s fit into the team seamlessly and I’m really excited to see what he does this year.”

Last October, Lombard showed a glimpse of his incredible athleticism when he produced the sixth-best agility test result in the history of the AFL draft combine.

The Suns Academy product has two years of VFL experience under his belt entering the club’s AFL system and has taken to the pre-season like a duck to water, staking a claim to immediately start the season in the forward line.

“He’s 100 per cent in the frame,” Suns forwards coach Brad Miller declared.

“He’s got one of those bodies – he’s not a lightly-framed 18-year-old small forward. He’s thickly built, he’s hard at the footy, he tackles and pressures.

“We’ll see how he goes over the next couple of weeks, but he’s put his hand up with his form particularly post-Christmas.”

Leo Lombard is firming for an Opening Round debut. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Leo Lomard in action for the Suns academy. Picture: Rob Lawson/AFL Photos

Gold Coast will get a first proper look at Lombard in the cut and thrust of AFL football when the Suns host Brisbane and Collingwood in a three-way practice match at People First Stadium on Thursday.

Since returning from the Christmas break Lombard has cemented himself in the Suns’ presumptive starting side across multiple match simulations, combining his trademark manic forward-half pressure and a touch of class with ball in-hand.

Remember the name Leo Lombard!

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— AFL (@AFL) June 28, 2024

If he can replicate that against the Lions and Magpies on Thursday, he will almost certainly cement his place in Damien Hardwick’s best 23 for the March 8 season opener against Essendon

“We just want him to come in and put as much pressure on the opposition as possible,” Miller said.

“What we’ve seen on the back of that, with that being the one-wood of his game, is he is able to clean up a loose ball and be really composed with the footy going inside 50.

“Hopefully we get both sides of it, the pressure and the class.”

Originally published as Gold Coast’s top draft pick Leo Lombard firms for Opening Round debut after impressive pre-season