AFL Round 19 Brisbane v Geelong: All the news, action and fallout as young gun Will Ashcroft hurts knee

Brisbane withstood a late charge by the Cats, but hearts were in mouths around the Gabba – and the wider footy community – as Will Ashcroft lay on the turf clutching his knee.

Callum Dick

5 min read

July 22, 2023 - 9:01PM

News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

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A deflated Chris Fagan says he will “live in hope” that young midfielder Will Ashcroft’s knee injury is not the dreaded ACL but the club will not know more until the 19-year-old is sent for scans on Monday.

Brisbane’s stirring 11-point victory over Geelong was soured by the late injury to Ashcroft, who fell backwards while contesting the footy midway through the final quarter and immediately clutched at his right knee.

The Rising Star favourite was helped from the ground by medical staff and subsequently subbed out of the game.

“It’s dampened my mood,” Fagan said in the post-match.

“I don’t know, I haven’t spoken to any of the players (yet). I don’t like to see that for any player, at any club, at any time.”

Brisbane’s win was soured by Will Ashcroft‘s knee injury. Picture: Russell Freeman/AFL Photos

The young gun stayed down few a few minutes and will now have scans on Monday. Picture: Russell Freeman/AFL Photos

Brisbane’s father-son selection had played every game of his debut AFL season and averaged 22.5 disposals and 3.7 clearances before Saturday’s clash at the Gabba.

He has quickly established himself as a key player in arguably the best midfield in the competition and his absence will be felt for as long as the Lions are without the uber-talented teenager.

Whether his season is over will not be known until he is sent for scans on Monday, but Fagan did not sound confident immediately after the match.

“We’ll all hope for the best, just not sure,” he said.

“He (Ashcroft) feels a little uncertain as well. Let’s hope it’s something less than what we all might think it is.

“You’ve got to live in hope that it’s something a little bit less than an ACL. We’ll just see.”

Ashcroft’s injury came amid a late Geelong surge that came after Brisbane had dominated the first three quarters to lead by 25 points at the final change.

When Joe Daniher kicked the first goal of the final term the hosts’ lead shot out to beyond five goals.

Only eight days after they conceded a five-goal lead against the Demons, an eerily similar set of circumstances began to unfold at the Gabba as the Cats kicked three quick goals to bridge the gap to 11 points.

But unlike the previous week, when the Lions folded under the Demons’ pressure, Fagan’s side was able to hold its nerve.

A goal to recently re-signed utility Cal Ah Chee snapped Geelong’s momentum in the final term and Brisbane was able to better navigate the nervy final stages.

A late Callum Ah Chee was crucial. Picture: Albert Perez/AFL Photos

Chris Fagan’s mood was dampened by the Ashcroft injury. Picture: Russell Freeman/AFL Photos

“I think we handled that last block of five or six minutes pretty well and psychologically it would have been pretty hard, because those boys were aware of what happened last week,” Fagan said.

“We really reviewed it hard during the week and you could see that they did the things that we talked about much, much better.

“You’d prefer not to have the opposition come at you like that, but in another way it’s fortuitous that we got the opportunity to practice it.”

Fagan admitted he addressed the previous week’s fadeout to Melbourne during the three-quarter time huddle.

He challenged his side to respond differently if and when the Cats came at them – and they did.

“I don’t know what Chris (Geelong coach Chris Scott) would have said to his players at three-quarter time, but I figure he would have said, ‘They’re about the same number of points in front this week as they were last week, so let’s test them out’ – which they did,” Fagan said.

“And we talked about that at three-quarter time, too. ‘OK, this is the same scenario boys. Let’s see if we can do it a little bit better. So we’re pretty open and honest about it.”

Lions hold on this time – but win comes at a cost

Brisbane has survived a monumental fourth-quarter comeback to outlast Geelong 9.10 (64) to 7.11 (53) on Saturday afternoon but the win has come at a heavy cost, with rising star favourite Will Ashcroft leaving the field late with a suspected knee injury.

Hearts were in mouths around the Gabba as the reigning premiers pulled themselves from the canvas to get within 11 points midway through the final term, having been comprehensively outplayed by the Lions for three quarters.

After conceding a five-goal lead to Melbourne the previous week, the Lions again looked nervous in the dying stages as Jeremy Cameron and Ollie Henry’s quick fire majors brought the Cats roaring back into the match.

Hugh McCluggage fires out a handpass in Brisbane’s win over Geelong. Picture: Albert Perez/AFL Photos

But after Cal Ah Chee goaled 17 minutes into the final quarter to snap the Cats’ streak, the Lions were able to hold on for a gritty 11-point win that should never have gotten that close.

Fresh from a 77-point thumping of Essendon last weekend, it took until a moment of Patrick Dangerfield brilliance seven minutes before half-time for Geelong to record its first goal of the contest.

The reigning premiers were smashed at clearance (49-22) and trailed the inside 50 count 44-28 at three-quarter time before their surge in the final term.

In his first game back from a calf injury, Josh Dunkley starred for Brisbane with 27 disposals, eight tackles and three centre clearances.

Fresh from signing a new two-year contract, utility Cal Ah Chee played his best game for the season with 23 touches and a goal, while Lincoln McCarth, Eric Hipwood and Joe Daniher all kicked two goals.

After being almost unsighted for three quarters, Jeremy Cameron finished the match with three goals, while Cats skipper Patrick Dangerfield had two majors to go with 17 disposals.

Ashcroft got to his feet and walked off the Gabba.

Worries for Will

Brisbane will be holding its breath for rising star favourite Will Ashcroft after the son of a gun midfielder was subbed out midway through the fourth quarter with an apparent knee injury.

Ashcroft clutched at his knee after being taken in a fairly innocuous tackle and immediately called for the trainers.

He was able to hobble off the ground with help from medical staff but was soon subbed out of the contest.

The 19-year-old has played every game of his debut AFL season and established himself as a key cog in the best midfield in the competition.

He averages 22.5 disposals and 3.7 clearances per game and had been labelled by teammate Hugh McCluggage as “Lachie (Neale) 2.0”.

Final-quarter fade outs

Brisbane fans must have aged a decade over the past eight days having watched their side let five-goal leads slip first against Melbourne and now – almost – Geelong.

For three quarters the Lions looked unstoppable, but after Joe Daniher kicked the opening goal to put them 31-points up it all began to unravel.

In eerily similar circumstances to the Demons defeat, Brisbane was suddenly on the back foot as the Cats piled on 10 consecutive inside 50s and three goals to roar back into the contest.

Thankfully for Chris Fagan’s sanity, his side was able to hold off the resurgent Cats and avenge their 2022 preliminary final defeat.

Tom Stewart moved into the midfield in the second half and was Geelong’s best. Picture: Albert Perez/AFL Photos

Tough run to September

Geelong could be one of as many as eight teams on nine wins by the end of the round and theirs is not an easy run home.

The Cats host Fremantle next Saturday before welcoming Port Adelaide to Kardinia Park the following weekend.

Collingwood, St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs round out their regular season.

The Cats’ strong percentage puts them in the box seat should it come down to that, but Chris Scott will not be happy with what he saw from his charges for the first three quarters at the Gabba.