Levi Ashcroft to debut as Brisbane Lions sub in round 1: SuperCoach expert advice

Levi Ashcroft will make his AFL debut as sub, sending more than 100,000 SuperCoach teams into a frenzy. Should you hold him or take a punt on another rookie? SEE OUR ADVICE

Brisbane will unleash prized father-son draftee Levi Ashcroft for Saturday night’s blockbuster grand final rematch against the Sydney Swans in a statement of faith that the rookie wunderkind is ready for the big stage.

Lions coach Chris Fagan told the playing group on Thursday that 18-year-old Ashcroft would start as the sub against the Swans, hailing the “remarkable effort” of the No. 5 draft pick to force his way into a premiership team at the first opportunity.

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“It is a bloody fair effort to break into this side when you think of it,” Fagan said.

“Of the 23 that represented this club in the grand final last year, the only bloke missing is Joey (Daniher) because he retired, but everybody is fit and available for selection.

“So on the back of having shoulder surgery, a bit of a later start to the pre-season then getting involved in some of the later practice games, you’ve been able to force your way into the side which is a remarkable effort when you think about it.”

Ashcroft is one of just two changes to the team that thumped Sydney by 60 points last September, alongside Oscar McInerney who reclaims his place in the ruck after missing the grand final with a shoulder injury. Somewhat surprisingly, ex-Sun Sam Day – who was brought in to fill the Daniher void – has been left out of the squad, with Darcy Fort preferred.

Ashcroft was the third most-popular player in SuperCoach as of 4pm Thursday, featuring in 118,932 teams.

It was Will Ashcroft who cut Sydney to pieces in a Norm Smith medal-winning display on the final match day of 2024 but Brisbane Lions great and Fox Footy commentator Alastair Lynch has warned the Swans to be wary of his younger brother on Saturday night.

“Levi looks like Will did two years ago – he looks like a professional 24-year-old footballer who is ready to go, and that is a huge bonus,” Lynch told this masthead.

“The easy answer is to say he looks like Will but he does, he looks really composed with the ball.

“He looks like the type of player that puts his teammates into better positions.

“The temptation would have been to hold him back a little bit because he had an interrupted pre-season with his shoulder reconstruction but no, he is ready to go.”

After taking a conservative approach to the No. 5 draft pick’s pre-season following shoulder surgery last October, the Lions might have been tempted to bide their time, particularly given the depth of the club’s list.

But the young gun gave them no choice.

Standout performances against Gold Coast on February 20 and Adelaide on February 27 proved to the football world and Brisbane coaching staff that he was ready for the bright lights of the AFL.

For the first of what the Lions hope will be many games to come, the Ashcroft brothers will join forces on a special night for the family.

“I think for Bec and Marcus (Ashcroft) they would be enormously proud of what the boys are putting out,” said Lynch, who played alongside Marcus in Brisbane’s premiership three-peat from 2001-03.

“And for Will to have that ACL injury in his first year, then bounce back and win a Norm Smith medal was quite extreme. They would be quite content at the moment.

“They would be so proud of the boys, what they’re doing and how they’re going about it.”

Every game on Saturday is exclusively live on Fox Footy, available on Kayo Sports and Foxtel.

Originally published as Levi Ashcroft to debut as Brisbane Lions sub in round 1: SuperCoach expert advice