WILL Ashcroft has won two Norm Smith medals, yet the Brisbane midfield ace has never had a sustained stretch of excellence like his past six weeks.
Since the second half of the round 14 match against Richmond where the Lions were struggling to get past the cellar dwellers, Ashcroft has been on a tear.
On that sunny Sunday afternoon in Hobart, the 22-year-old exploded with 2.2 from eight third-quarter disposals – including a Goal of the Year nominee - to take the game from a tight affair to the comfortable victory it was always meant to be.
Following the week’s break, Ashcroft has been ripping games apart.
Wins ensued against Sydney, Geelong, Essendon, West Coast and Port Adelaide, with the former No.2 draft pick central to it all.
He is the first Lion to average 30-plus disposals, 10-plus score involvements and 1-plus goals over a six-game stretch, and has polled votes in AFL.com.au’s Brownlow Predictor in each game.
He is now sitting fifth on that leaderboard, and likewise in the AFL Coaches Association MVP and has stormed into All-Australian calculations.
Based on Champion Data’s Player Ratings system, Ashcroft has never enjoyed a more productive stretch. His 16.0 average is 11th in the competition during that period and outdoes his storied Finals campaigns from 2024 and 2025.
|
Round |
Rating Pts |
D |
I50 |
CP |
UP |
M |
GBG |
IP |
G |
SA |
SI |
T |
|
14 v Richmond (W) |
14.3 |
38 |
5 |
9 |
30 |
10 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
14 |
4 |
|
16 v Sydney Swans (W) |
13.5 |
30 |
8 |
11 |
15 |
7 |
8 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
7 |
|
17 v Geelong (W) |
11.1 |
32 |
5 |
13 |
15 |
7 |
10 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
7 |
2 |
|
18 v Essendon (W) |
30.1 |
33 |
6 |
12 |
19 |
7 |
8 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
13 |
3 |
|
19 v West Coast (W) |
11.7 |
32 |
5 |
12 |
18 |
4 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
4 |
|
20 v Port Adelaide (W) |
15.3 |
30 |
12 |
8 |
21 |
7 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
12 |
3 |
|
Average |
16.0 |
32.5 |
6.8 |
10.8 |
19.7 |
7.0 |
7.2 |
1.8 |
Interestingly, the Queenslander has had his position tweaked.
During the first 13 matches – where he was ranked Brisbane’s 17th best player – Ashcroft spent 83 per cent of his game time in the midfield, with the remainder forward.
|
Rounds 14-20 |
Club |
AVG |
|
Nick Daicos |
Collingwood |
21.9 |
|
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera |
St Kilda |
20.8 |
|
Chad Warner |
Sydney Swans |
19.6 |
|
Marcus Bontempelli |
Western Bulldogs |
19.5 |
|
Ed Richards |
Western Bulldogs |
17.5 |
|
Max Gawn |
Melbourne |
16.9 |
|
Zac Bailey |
Brisbane Lions |
16.8 |
|
Zak Butters |
Port Adelaide |
16.4 |
|
Harry Sheezel |
North Melbourne |
16.4 |
|
Bailey Dale |
Western Bulldogs |
16.2 |
|
Max Holmes |
Geelong Cats |
16.0 |
|
Will Ashcroft |
Brisbane Lions |
16.0 |
|
Will Ashcroft's AFL Rank rounds 14-20 |
|
|
Rating Points |
11 |
|
Disposals |
4 |
|
Uncontested Possessions |
=10 |
|
Score Involvements |
2 |
|
Inside 50s |
4 |
|
Clearances |
10 |
Over the past six weeks, that midfield time has dropped to 71 per cent. His ability to get involved from half-forward, lose his opponent with his smarts and use the ball effectively in the front half of the ground, has been instrumental in Brisbane’s form reversal.
Now 77 games into his young career, it appears as if Ashcroft is just getting started.