By Nick Wright
Craig Starcevich had just been on the receiving end of a fourth grand final defeat in six attempts, and what he regarded as “the best footy I have ever seen in AFLW”.
But the Brisbane Lions coach issued a declaration which spoke volumes to the way he and his side have triggered exponential growth of the game in Queensland: they would evolve.
A relentless North Melbourne suffocated the defending champions in a 6.3 (39) 1.3 (9) triumph, as Kangaroos sensation Jasmine Garner produced a Best on Ground performance.
Ellie Hampson kicked the Lions only goal in the AFLW grand final defeat to the Kangaroos.Credit: Getty Images
But what cannot be taken from this Lions group is the massive inroads they have made in Queensland, with the extent of their invasion into a traditional rugby league heartland now revealed.
Since 2019, women’s Aussie rules has undergone a 133 per cent community participation increase in southeast Queensland. Across the state, total female player numbers have risen by 54 per cent in youth football, while the number of girls friendly change rooms has shot up 70 per cent.
Starcevich’s outfit and their constant presence at the business end of the season has been at the heart of such spikes, inspiring a whole new generation of players to pick up the Sherrin.
“It’s nice you show up every year and you’re in contention … but it’s a bitter one to have to swallow, and then it’s such a long, hard road to get there now,” Starcevich said.
“Our competition is batting pretty deep now. It’s going to be harder and harder to win, so we just have to keep getting better.
“The team’s always evolving, one of the greats of our team [Kate Lutkins] has just retired, and someone else will come in underneath and fill the void.”
Starcevich hinted an even more formidable team could be rolled in 2025, confirming several players had inquired about joining the fold.
While he refused to go into specifics about the recruits he would chase, adamant “we’re pretty happy with the list we’ve got”, he remained philosophical about the need to keep striving for improvement.
But Starcevich believed the next step towards capturing the potential of the game would come from providing greater support behind the scenes.
“We were just downstairs trying to acknowledge all the people within our program. In the first year there were about 12 of us, if that, and now there’s a support cast of 30 or 40 people,” Starcevich said.
“We would like to provide more support to the players. A fair few of them [staff members] are part-time, so it would be nice to have space in your soft cap to be able to pay more assistant coaches to become more full-time.
“We’re heading in that direction and getting there, but the players are now demanding more time from people. I think that’s where you’ll see the great improvement in the comp, and we’ve already seen it this year.”
Now, attention will turn to making the men’s game Queensland’s leading force, where the Lions’ breakthrough premiership has the potential to put a serious dent in the NRL’s stranglehold.
AFL Queensland’s 64,000 players reported mid-year did not consider Auskick AFL Superkick and AFL Nines initiatives for school terms three and four. A total increase of 17 per cent has occurred in 2024.
As the NRL prepares to expand into a 20-team competition, bids to capture Queensland’s west have been pitched.
However, the game intends to target new audiences - with Perth and Papua New Guinea favourites to clinch two of the three spots, and a second New Zealand outfit a hot contender.
Young gun Will Ashcroft won the Norm Smith Medal in a standout showing against the Swans.Credit: Joe Armao
Should a fifth Queensland franchise fall through, the AFL will be ready to infiltrate, with the Lions’ Springfield base the birthplace of the club’s return to the top.
Inspired by Norm Smith Medal winner Will Ashcroft, Brisbane snapped a two-decade title drought.
Now his brother, Levi Ashcroft, will join the fold as one of the most hotly anticipated draftees of the season.
In the same way as Reece Walsh’s electric style reignited the Brisbane Broncos’ fanfare, the combination of the Ashcroft boys could take the AFL to new heights in the Sunshine State.
“We played about 10 games of junior footy together and it was some of the most exciting footy I’ve ever been a part of,” Will Ashcroft said of Levi.
“We have a lot of similarities as players and people. He’s pretty competitive, and we’ve driven that all throughout our childhood.”
Will Ashcroft on Levi Ashcroft
“We’re very competitive against each other, and we’re looking forward to bringing that into our training and to opposition next year.”
Ashcroft believed what the Lions’ women had achieved solidified the club’s standing as the premier outfit in the country.
“To see what they’ve been able to do has been unbelievable and I think that’s the value we share across both teams - that hunger to keep driving forward and not being complacent,” he said.
“We’ll take motivation off what the girls have done.”