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What’s it like to be a draft hopeful ahead of the big night?

Grand final day was bittersweet for Ashcroft.
The 18-year-old budding star will officially become a Brisbane Lion on Wednesday night, at no later than pick five. Melbourne are set to bid on him unless Richmond, North Melbourne, Carlton or Adelaide get in first.
Ashcroft had already pledged his father-son draft rights to Brisbane when he watched his brother, Will, win the Norm Smith Medal and join their father Marcus as a premiership Lion.
“It was a very special time for the family, but it was a little bit mixed emotions for me,” he told this masthead. “I was very excited for the boys, but I was like, ‘Oh, it would have been nice if it was another year after’, but hopefully, we get to go back-to-back and continue the good form.”
Only one family member per player is typically permitted on the ground after a grand final, and the Ashcrofts chose their mother, Rebecca. But Will sweet-talked security into letting his sibling jump the fence and join in the celebrations, too.
The younger Ashcroft has put together an extraordinary resume, himself, ahead of the draft, and is intent on eventually being known as the best player from this class, even if he is not the No.1 pick.
An opening round debut is already in Ashcroft’s sights. The left shoulder surgery he had in the post-season won’t stop him chasing that goal.
“It’s been my dream to get drafted for a long time, and I’ve known for a long time it was going to be the Brisbane Lions,” Ashcroft said.
“It doesn’t matter to me [what pick]. If you look at people like Nick Daicos and Will, they were the best players in their draft. Nick went four, Will went two, and ... they’re going pretty well, so hopefully, I can do the same in the AFL and make an early impact like they did. I’m just excited to be a Brisbane Lion.”
Ashcroft will fly to Brisbane on Thursday night and might sneak into the club on Friday for a training session.
He plans to move in with Will, who is looking to buy a home, and their childhood friend James Creighton, who will play for the Lions’ VFL team in 2025.
Creighton was in Gold Coast’s academy, represented Queensland at junior level with Will and attended Brighton Grammar alongside him. They won flags together at the Sandringham Dragons.
The Dragons’ hope is that Ashcroft, one of the most driven and professional prospects in years, is just one of a group of several players from the club who will achieve their AFL dream across Wednesday and Thursday nights.
“It’s very special and an honour to play at a club where my family’s steeped in history, and now both my family members have won premierships for this great club,” he said.
“I’m very pumped for the draft. It’s an exciting time for me and my family, and people around me. For the Sandy Dragons, and even the Brighton Grammar boys, it’s going to be an unbelievable couple of nights.”
 
'I had a few butterflies': Fagan delights the crowd with emotional return
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Rupert Moore, Ollie Williams and Charlie Gaffney pictured with Brisbane Lions' coach Chris Fagan and the AFL premiership cup. Picture by Jacob Bevis

Chris Fagan didn't know what to expect when venturing to his old stumping ground, but was blown away as the West Coast community came out in force.
The Brisbane Lions' coach made his long-awaited return to Queenstown on Saturday and brought the AFL premiership cup with him.
Fagan, who began his footballing journey on the gravel oval, detailed why the visit was an emotional one.
"I didn't know what to expect, having not been here for 32 years. I had a few butterflies," Fagan said.
"I thought if I could work out a date where I could come down here with the cup, that would be a good thing to do and I can see the locals really appreciate it.
"I've been with [the Brisbane Lions] for eight years and we've gone through a lot of things together and when you win it, you think about all those things you've gone through.
[When I visit Queenstown], I think of my dad who's no longer with us. He used to be a coach [Lyell-Gormanston] along here and I remember standing out on the ground during cold nights. - Brisbane Lions AFL premiership coach, Chris Fagan
"It never ceases to amaze me how much people love the premiership cup and touching it, feeling it and holding it."
More than a thousand people were at the Queenstown Football Club to meet the 63-year-old, while getting up close and personal with the cup.
Plenty of memories floated through Fagan's mind when he stood on the gravel oval once again.
"[When I visit Queenstown], I think of my dad [Austin] who's no longer with us. He used to be a coach [at Lyell-Gormanston] and I remember standing out on the ground during cold nights," he said.
"It reminds me of family and footy - the WTFA was a pretty big competition back in the day and very competitive in this town. Winning the premiership in Queenstown was a big thing.
"It also reminds me of the great teachers I had at Murray High School, who really influenced me and encouraged me to become a teacher just like them."
West Coast mayor Shane Pitt was ecstatic with the turnout after penning a letter to Fagan.
"It's great to see that Chris has brought the cup down here and we were happy to assist in that process," Mr Pitt said.
"You can see from [Saturday], the amount of people that have turned up - not just from the West Coast - but from right around Tassie."
 

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This is extremely interesting, especially how we manage the cap and that no other club does what we do.
I’m just glad to head that we wre no longer a feeder club for the rest of the competition. We have an extremely strong local women's competition in QLD so hopefully we continue to to grow our own.
 
Love this gws clip. He nails what being an elite sports person means.

BTW anyone who thinks Lester is slow - watch that sprint.



That was emotionally raw, I actually felt sorry for the Giants players who went through that.

Also good to see Adam Kingsley adopt the learnings philosophy from our man Fages.
 

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