Why Brisbane Lions will get even better in 2025, Brisbane Lions premiership, Levi Ashcroft, Will Ashcroft, latest news #adessonews

Brisbane were good, like scary good – and they’re only going to get better.

The Lions etched themselves into footy folklore with an emphatic 60-point victory over Sydney in the 2024 AFL Grand Final, sweet redemption for last year’s heartbreak at the final hurdle against Collingwood.

They were dominant against the Swans from start to finish, from young gun Kai Lohmann’s dynamic first term to star forward Joe Daniher’s final goal where teammates flocked to the maligned tall to celebrate in joyous scenes.

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Co-captain Lachie Neale was at his hard-working best racking up 35 disposals and nine clearances, while veteran Dayne Zorko was busy off half-back with 26 touches and six tackles.

Hugh McCluggage was huge early in the match when the game was there to be won, Josh Dunkley played an integral role in nullifying the impact of star Swan Isaac Heeney and Jarrod Berry finally tasted sweet success.

And how about that defence? They don’t get the stats of a midfielder or forward, but the impact of Brisbane’s backline cannot be understated. Co-captain Harris Andrews marshalled his troops brilliantly, Brandon Starcevich clamped Swans livewire Tom Papley and veteran Ryan Lester stood up when it mattered.

Callum Ah Chee had an absolutely superb finals series, booting ten goals across four matches which included a game-high bag of four on the biggest stage of all. Perhaps an unlikely source of scoring, Ah Chee has been electric in September. Lohmann is the side’s energiser bunny and was without a doubt one of the Lions’ best against the Swans. Four goals, three of which game in the first term, laid the platform for an historic victory. Joe Daniher, who is reportedly considering retirement, was also a force to be reckoned with, booting 2.4 from 16 disposals and eight marks.

Then there’s the Norm Smith Medallist Will Ashcroft, who has already become a superstar of this competition after just 31 games. Ashcroft showed poise and composure beyond his years in a scintillating display. The son of club legend Marcus, Will became the youngest Norm Smith Medallist of the AFL era at just 20 years of age. The star youngster amassed 30 disposals, five clearances and six inside 50s to receive 14 out of a possible 15 votes in the medal tally. A goal in the third term where he attacked a stoppage at speed before snapping truly capped off a superb day from one of the competition’s brightest young talents.

The Swans had no answers for the lethal Lions.

And the entire AFL world is going to have to go to work over the summer if they’re to compete with the pride of Brisbane town in 2025, because they’re going to go to the next level.

YOUNG GUNS INBOUND

How good was Will Ashcroft? Wait until you see his younger brother, Levi, who is set to join the Lions as another father-son superstar in 2025.

Levi Ashcroft became the first ever player to win three consecutive Coates Talent League premierships when he led the Sandringham Dragons to victory over the GWV Rebels earlier this month. A midfielder-forward with match-winning ability, Ashcroft has the same cleanliness and composure of his older brother but is even more dynamic around the goals. The teenager is a proven big game player and loves to tackle and hunt the footy. He likely won’t see a bid at pick 1 (even though he probably should) but is nonetheless a top 5 prospect.

His Dragons teammate, Sam Marshall, is another first round prospect who is tied to the club. Marshall is a member of Brisbane’s Next Generation Academy which means he’ll also find his way to the Lions alongside Ashcroft this year. Marshall is an elite ball magnet who won the award for Best on Ground in the Dragons’ premiership triumph this season. He’s consistent, hard-working and will also add another dimension to Chris Fagan’s on-ball brigade.

If we forecast to the 2025 draft, Queenslander Daniel Annable will also make his way to the Lion’s den. Another Academy prospect, Annable had 27 disposals and five inside 50s in the U17 National Futures curtain-raiser yesterday.

Lohmann, young key forward Logan Morris, winger Jaspa Fletcher and dashing defender Darcy Wilmot have all thrived with added responsibility this year and will help to drive this new wave of Lions forward.

RETURNING INJURED STARS

Winning premierships is never easy, but the Lions had to overcome some significant hurdles in their quest for premiership glory.

The Lions lost their first three matches of their 2024 campaign and still sat in 13th place on the AFL ladder at the halfway point of the season, only making their season debut in the top eight at the end of round 16. It’s the second latest a side has left their run in the history of the game. The Lions also defied the odds by winning a flag from outside the top four, something that hadn’t been done since the Western Bulldogs’ drought-breaking victory back in 2016.

Not only did they have patchy form on-field throughout various stages of the season, but the Lions also had to overcome a host of season-ending injuries to vital players.

Former Crow Tom Doedee ruptured his ACL in pre-season last year just as he was set to make his club debut. Alongside fellow tall Darcy Gardiner, the duo will add some defensive reinforcements to a side that was exposed when both Andrews and defender Jack Payne were hurt at different points during the season. Doedee is one of the game’s best interceptors when at full flight, while Gardiner has shown an ability to play on both tall and small forwards throughout his career. He’s also capable of playing in attack as well.

Veteran small forward Lincoln McCarthy was another player to suffer a season-ending ACL injury during the 2024 campaign. Both he and Gardiner went down in their May QClash against the Gold Coast which sent shockwaves through the Lions camp. At his peak, the former Cat is a high-flying ball of dynamite in the forward half who provides plenty of spark for the Lions. Whether or not he comes straight back in remains to be seen given the emergence of Lohmann and Ah Chee, but if nothing else he’ll provide another option for Fagan and his match committee.

Damaging defender Keidean Coleman looked set for a breakout 2024 season before he also suffered his own ACL injury in the dying stages of the second term of the sides’ Opening Round loss to Carlton. The silky-smooth back is deadly by foot and will be integral in creating drive out of the back half in 2025. He was second in Norm Smith Medal voting in last year’s loss to the Pies and was awarded the Lions’ best player of the finals.

And how could we forget about the Big O? Lions ruck Oscar McInerney was this season’s premiership heartbreak story, but you wouldn’t know that if you saw the post-match scenes. The fan favourite was at the centre of the celebrations, hoisting teammates into the air despite his shoulder injury and celebrating like there was no tomorrow. While his replacement Darcy Fort competed admirably, McInerney is a class above and the club will no doubt have some added drive for the 2025 flag so that their great mate Oscar can also taste success.

With a gun draft duo inbound and some superstars set to return from injury, the Lions are no doubt a force to be reckoned with in 2025.

It’s an EARLY call, but they’ve surely got to be premiership fancies again next year.