Will Ashcroft

Ashcroft was born on 6 May 2004 on the Gold Coast, to parents Rebekah and Marcus Ashcroft. He has two siblings, one of whom is fellow professional footballer Levi Ashcroft. Ashcroft attended All Saints Anglican School for most of his youth. His father Marcus Ashcroft, is a three-time AFL premiership player who competed in 318 games for the Brisbane Bears/Lions over the course of his 15-year professional career. His great uncle is former Melbourne Demons player John Townsend, who was part of their 1964 premiership team. Ashcroft played a variety of sports while growing up on the Gold Coast and was selected to represent Queensland in swimming as well as athletics before focusing on Australian rules football. He played junior football from a young age, and was at 10 years old selected by the Gold Coast Suns to take part in their academy program. At 11 years of age, he switched clubs and began playing for Southport in the under-14s Gold Coast AFL competition. Several years later he represented Queensland at the 2018 U15 AFL National Championships, where his performances earned him All-Australian honours as a bottom-ager. He was also awarded the Gold Coast Suns under-14s Academy Player of the Year award after the 2018 season where he played alongside future AFL players Jed Walter, Ethan Read, Jake Rogers and Will Graham. Ashcroft relocated to Melbourne in 2019 where he began attending Brighton Grammar and once again competed in the U15 AFL National Championships, although this time he would captain Victoria to an undefeated gold medal performance. Ashcroft temporarily moved back to Queensland in 2020 to play in the QAFL junior league for Morningside during the COVID-19 pandemic-affected year which cancelled all junior football competitions within Victoria. In 2021, after moving back to Victoria, Ashcroft was deemed a top draft prospect after performing well for Victoria Metro in the U17 National Championships. Despite spending most of his childhood on the Gold Coast and five years in the Suns academy, the AFL ruled in April 2021 that Ashcroft was ineligible to be academy-drafted by the Gold Coast Suns. In 2022, Ashcroft captained the Sandringham Dragons to a NAB League premiership and Victoria Metro to an U18 National Championship, later receiving the captaincy honour in the U18 All-Australian team as well as the Larke Medal. After finishing his Victorian Certificate of Education at Brighton Grammar toward the end of 2021, he began studying commerce and sport management at Deakin University. == AFL career ==

Ashcroft was nominated as a father–son selection for the Brisbane Lions in the 2022 AFL draft, and was accepted as Pick 2 after the Brisbane Lions matched North Melbourne's bid. He since agreed to remain with the Brisbane Lions until at least the end of the 2026 season. Ashcroft made his AFL debut in Round 1 against Port Adelaide, gathering 13 disposals and a goal in a 54-point defeat. In Round 2, Ashcroft collected 31 disposals against Melbourne and received a Rising Star nomination as one of the best players on the ground in only his second game, earning widespread praise from the AFL media and community. In Round 19, Ashcroft ruptured his ACL against the Geelong Cats, ending his debut season prematurely and therefore missing the 2023 finals series. The AFL community all widely expressed their support for Ashcroft, who was the Rising Star favourite and had been a standout player for Brisbane despite it being his debut season. He documented his recovery process through his website, WASH Performance and Wellbeing. Ashcroft's was nominated for and won the Goal of the Year, announced at the 2023 Brownlow Medal. He finished the year with 10 Brownlow votes, the third-most for the Lions, finishing behind Joe Daniher with 12, and Lachie Neale, who won the award with 31. He was also selected in the 2023 22under22 team. He returned from his ACL injury mid-way through the 2024 season, returning against Melbourne in Round 16 and playing a crucial role in the Lions' mid-season resurgence that saw them bounce back from a below-average season start to make finals with a fifth-place finish. Ashcroft would be instrumental in the Lions finals run, and was part of the Brisbane Lions 2024 premiership winning team, winning the Norm Smith Medal as best afield in the Grand Final with 30 disposals and a goal. At 20 years of age, Ashcroft became the youngest Norm Smith Medal winner since 1979, when Wayne Harmes won the inaugural edition of the award. He also became the first Queenslander to win the Norm Smith Medal in 2024. On 4 May 2025, Brisbane defeated the Gold Coast Suns in QClash 28, winning 9.12 (66) to 7.7 (49). Ashcroft accumulated 34 disposals, 17 contested possessions and 9 clearances to be awarded the Marcus Ashcroft Medal as the best on ground. The medal is named after his father, due to his contributions to both clubs. On 19 August, Ashcroft received his second 22under22 selection, being selected in the 2025 team. For the second year running, Ashcroft was key to the Lions' finals run, winning a second premiership in a row in the 2025 Grand Final, this time enjoying premiership success alongside his brother Levi. Ashcroft won the Norm Smith Medal for the second year in a row, becoming one of only five players to win the medal multiple times and one of only three players to win it two years in a row. He is the youngest dual Norm Smith medallist in VFL/AFL history. Ashcroft also won the 2025 Gary Ayres Award, awarded to the best player across the finals series. In December 2025, the AFL confirmed Ashcroft's State of Origin eligbility would be tied to Queensland after missing out on selection for the 2026 AFL Origin match. ==Statistics==

Updated to the end of round 8, 2026. ==Honours and achievements==

Team • 2× AFL premiership player: 2024, 2025 • McClelland Trophy/Club Championship: 2025 Individual • 2× Norm Smith Medal: 2024, 2025 • AFLCA Gary Ayres Award: 2025 • Marcus Ashcroft Medal: R8, 2025 • Larke Medal: 2022 • AFL Goal of the Year: 2023 • AFL Rising Star nominee: 2023 (round 2) • 2x 22under22 team: 2023, 2025 == References ==