2024 Norm Smith medal: Full votes as Will Ashcroft crowned in Brisbane Lions’ premiership win

Will Ashcroft played the 2024 grand final in just his second season, but you wouldn’t know it. The young Lion reveals the moment he thought he could win the Norm Smith Medal. SEE ALL THE VOTES.

Will Ashcroft had a cheeky look up on the scoreboard when it first hit him.

The brilliant second-year midfielder had just sliced through a forward 50m stoppage like a knife through butter and slotted a magical third-term goal to put the Brisbane Lions 54 points up.

It was already party time.

And that is when he began to realise.

The man who has overcome a shattering torn ACL and watched the Lions’ Grand Final defeat from the stands last year was all of a sudden a chance to pocket the Norm Smith Medal.

Will Ashcroft with his two medals. Picture: Getty Images

Ashcroft snaps a third-quarter goal. Picture: Michael Klein

There was the brilliant snap on the run, the glance up at the scoreboard, and then the butterflies.

There was no doubt about the match result. Sydney’s shoulders were already slumped by then.

The only question was whether 20-year-old Ashcroft or dual Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale would be the one taking home two medals.

But remarkably in only his 31st AFL match, Ashcroft was voted the best player in the biggest game of the season.

“I didn’t think about it (Norm Smith Medal) too much, but when I kicked that goal they put my stats up on the big screen and I thought ‘I’m going all right, here, maybe. I’ll keep going.”

“I timed it (stoppage) pretty well and I was lucky it fell in my lap and I was able to finish.

“I haven’t kicked a goal for a while. So it was saving it for that.

“We have been working really hard on our forward 50m work the last six weeks, so we have been refining a few things.”

It was one of many magical moments for the Lions as Ashcroft, a man taken pick two father-son in the 2022 draft, and often compared to Collingwood’s Nick Daicos, helped lead the midfield demolition job with 30 silky touches including nine bulldozing contested possessions.

He whizzed in and out of congestion with ease, footy in hand and linked up with precision.

The win means the Ashcroft family trophy cabinet is jam packed with even more silverware after his father, Marcus, led the Lions to three premierships in their 2001-2003 glory days.

Even better, Will said, his brother, Levi, is about to join him next year in Lions colours after November’s draft. Another young jet.

And Will is already thinking about more success after taking a tough road to Saturday’s flag, spending 12 heartbreaking months on the sidelines.

There were tears during his time out of the game, but the pain of the injury will fade amid the premiership celebrations.

“I was shattered, and as hard as it was to miss last year I really set myself for the back end of this year and the finals series,” Ashcroft said.

“I just wanted to win premierships for this great club and to get here is amazing.

“To do it in front of my family and my brothers, I just can’t put it into words.

“They (Lions) had so much success back then (in the early 2000s), and we just wanted to get one and now we are hunting more.

“It is an unbelievable feeling to win one after he (dad) was part of the last one.”

But it wasn’t straightforward upon his return to the senior side this year in Round 17 as he took some time finding his groove.

Teammates congratulate Ashcroft after he was announced as the winner of Norm Smith medal. Picture: David Caird

He was urged to be patient, and the brilliance would soon be back, his father said.

“He (dad) just stuck by me and said ‘Your time will come mate’,” Will Ashcroft said.

“Work hard, keep doing the rehab and the basic things and I will be in a good spot to make an impact at the end of the season.

“I have confidence in my ability.

“I knew it would take a little bit of time to get going, so for the first four or five weeks I was just building.

“Those last few games (of the regular season) I was playing OK footy and to play finals we timed it well. I’m back playing some good footy.

“They (family) really helped me through such a difficult time. I really appreciate it and now we can celebrate.”

Ashcroft and Jaspa Fletcher with the cup. Picture: Getty Images

There was also some encouragement from his parents before the big day. The message?

“Just play my way. It’s a big occasion, and I haven’t been here (in a Grand Final) before, but just play my way and it stacks up, and be composed.

“That is what ultimately wins premierships when you are composed under pressure moments.

“But just play my way.”

Ashcroft also thanked Neale for all of his efforts helping mould Ashcroft, whose performance on Saturday showed he is a genuine star, rather than just a rising star of the competition.

“I base my game on him (Neale) and we work pretty closely together during the week, so we work well together,” he said.

“He (Neale) has got a good mix of inside and outside and so do I.

“Both of us performed well today to help drive the team to a premiership.”

Originally published as 2024 Norm Smith medal: Full votes as Will Ashcroft crowned in Brisbane Lions’ premiership win