Will Ashcroft is seemingly destined to be taken with the first pick in the 2022 National Draft after a stunning performance to lift the Sandringham Dragons to the NAB League Premiership.
Ashcroft was voted best afield in the 14.10 (94) to 7.9 (51) victory against Dandenong Stingrays, gathering 26 touches alone in the first half.
He finished with 39 disposals, six tackles, six clearances and two inside 50s to be the dominant midfield influence on the game.
The 18-year-old elected to nominate as a father-son selection to Brisbane – who dad Marcus played 318 games for – earlier this year
It’ll be a huge boost for the Lions, who were somewhat found out in Friday night’s Preliminary Final 71-point loss to Geelong.
But former GWS coach Leon Cameron believes Ashcroft can be a part of keeping the Lions in premiership contention next year.
“They can make some quick fixes,” Cameron told SEN’s Crunch Time on the Lions.
“They’ve got a young kid coming in Will Ashcroft who’s going to be the Nick Daicos of this year, and they need it in the area they need it the most.
“They need someone to help ride shotgun with Lachie Neale…”
Ashcroft has also proved he can match it with the bigger bodies with three strong VFL performances throughout the year.
He’s averaged 27.3 disposals, 5.3 tackles and 3.3 marks a game in the AFL reserves, while also booting 2.3.