The best of Brisbane's young Lion cubs was on show on Friday night in the win over the Western Bulldogs, with the Ashcroft brothers helping lead the reigning premiers to a close victory.
Will and Levi combined for five goals from 44 disposals, with the former finishing the game on a high with a long-range set shot as the siren neared.
Young defensive pairing Jaspa Fletcher and Darcy Wilmot were also instrumental in defensive 50, while at the other end of the field, premiership pair Kai Lohmann and Logan Morris hit the scoreboard.
All six Lions youngsters were drafted between the 2021-2023 AFL Drafts, with Wilmot the most capped at 74 games.
The younger Ashcroft is in his first season and looks to be favoured for the Rising Star Award, while Will, a Norm Smith Medal winner, is in line to play his 50th game next week.
Speaking after his side's latest win, Lions coach Chris Fagan lauded the efforts of his younger troops, as they hold integral roles in his contending side.
"It's good to see. The older blokes aren't going to play forever," Fagan said.
"We need the next layer coming through, and it seems like the group that we've got are an incredibly talented group.
"We don't talk about Wilmot much, but he's a fantastic young player as well. Then there's Logan Morris and Kai Lohmann.
"We've got some good ones there that we can build our team around, and in the meantime, some of the veterans can keep going well."
Fagan didn't stop there in heralding his playing group, with the Lions coach also throwing veteran pair Ryan Lester and Dayne Zorko's names into the mix as those that competed well.
Fagan was also rapt with the efforts of Josh Dunkley, who came up against his former club for the fourth time since moving north at the end of 2022.
Dunkley had 15 tackles, 28 disposals and 15 contested possessions to continue his hot form as a formidable two-way player, with Fagan claiming the ex-Bulldog is the best defensive midfielder he's seen in the game.
"He always plays pretty well against 'em, I reckon. He had 14 (sic) tackles again tonight and a lot of the footy," Fagan said of Dunkley.
"If they were picking an All-Australian teams, and they wanted to pick a bloke in the midfield who's a really good defensive player... he's the best defensive midfielder in the competition, and probably the best I've ever seen.
"I know I haven't seen them all, but the way he values that part of the game is just incredible. And then he applies it. So good on him.
"We've made two grand finals since Josh Dunkley has been at the club. I'm not putting it all down to him, but he's helped us enormously in that regard."
The Lions remain in second on the ladder following their 13th win of the season, with the reigning premiers needing Collingwood to lose their next two games to be a chance of taking top spot.
