Levi Ashcroft's junior coach has lifted the lid on the maturity and competitiveness of the emerging Lion, which shaped how he was coached ahead of his entrance to the AFL.
Brisbane matched a bid at Pick 5 of the 2024 AFL National Draft, and he has played 46 straight games since his debut in Opening Round, 2025.
His Talent League coach Rob Harding highlighted the specific detail and planning which went into assisting Ashcroft to hit the ground running at AFL level.
“In early 2023 we were talking about what does Round 1 2025 look like? You're going to be a Brisbane Lions player, how do we get you in the team for Round 1?” Harding told Zero Hanger's Craft of the Draft.
“There was a game really early in his bottom-aged year where he started on the bench for a game, and he'd never started a game on the bench before in his life, and he was really frustrated, not just about that, but also about how the game was going and wasn't getting as much as he thought, and his language towards his teammates wasn't great.
“We had a chat on the Monday about it, and I spoke to his Dad beforehand who I've known for a while, and we chatted through it all.
“You're probably going to start as the sub (in Round 1 2025). You're probably going to start on the bench; you're probably not starting in the midfield, so trying to frame everything with him around how do we be the most prepared for AFL footy.”
A key development Harding notes following that conversation was in Ashcroft's leadership.
He was named co-captain of Sandringham in 2024, and his willingness to embrace the role and develop relationships with the squad despite missing large parts of the year as school footy and the national championships went hand-in-hand with the level of footy he played.
“I still remember the first conversation I had with him down at RSEA Park; we caught up for 15-20 minutes just after I started and I couldn't believe he was so young,” Harding recalled.
“He talked like a 25-year-old at 15. He's a really mature character, which has lent itself to him developing quickly.
“I think in some ways for Levi, it's easy for him to connect with a 25-year-old than a 17-year-old. He wanted them to be at the high standards he sets, and for him it was about “how do I drag them with me?
“He opened himself up to the group more (in 2024), and the group embraced him.”
Ashcroft's embrace of the wing role as he awaits further midfield opportunity has highlighted that growth since arriving at the Lions.
He attended just six per cent of centre ball-ups last year, up slightly to 11 per cent this year as the old adage that no matter how good a junior you are, you can't walk into an AFL midfield rang true.
His understanding of running patterns and compliance with role, which enabled him to be a significant contributor to the side and hold his spot in the strongest lineup in the league, underlined his brilliant footy IQ.
“He's got a footy brain as good as some coaches I've worked with at AFL level. He sees the game so well," Harding said.
Harding has worked at Adelaide and Essendon with the likes of Neil Craig, Mark Bickley, Brenton Sanderson and John Worsfold.
“He'll come to me at quarter time of a game and say ‘this, this and this are happening', and I'll be like ‘no worries mate, I'll deal with that, you go play',” Harding said.
“He understands the game so well that he's going to learn so quickly.”
