You would assume the son of a 300-game Brisbane champion might need grown up barracking for the Lions, however Will Ashcroft will tackle the AFL membership he cherished most as a toddler this Saturday.
Triple premiership Lion Marcus Ashcroft could not persuade his son to help the membership. Instead, former teammate Nigel Lappin swayed the prodigious younger expertise to observe the membership the place he is been a long-time assistant coach – Geelong.
“Dad retired before I was born, and Nigel Lappin was a close family friend of Dad’s, obviously he played here as well,” Ashcroft mentioned.
“I loved Joel Selwood when I was really young, and (Lappin) sent me a Selwood jersey when I was young – that was sort of it.
“I actually appeared ahead to taking part in them within the apply match and now to play them within the home-and-away season, it’s going to be actually thrilling for me and for the workforce to get again on monitor.”
It’s one subplot for the third-placed Lions’ keenly-awaited match against the fifth-placed Cats at the Gabba, as the visitors look to make it five games unbeaten on a run that’s carried them back into top-four contention.
Ashcroft said seeing the reigning premiers fight back from a patchy 5-6 start to the year was hardly a surprise.
“They’ve been actually pink sizzling and so they had been all the time going to come back good,” he mentioned.
“Obviously a sluggish begin, however the membership that they’re, they’re all the time going to come back good.
“They’ll pick up their form towards the finals, so this will be a good clash this week.”
Rising Star favorite Ashcroft has shortly change into a reliable member of the Brisbane midfield combine, and is but to overlook a sport in his rookie season whereas averaging a crisp 22 disposals.
With his father again in Melbourne, he mentioned stepping out of his legendary dad’s sneakers had been straightforward.
“There was always a little bit of expectation coming in, but all the way through I haven’t really read too far into it,” Ashcroft mentioned.
“Even last year, coming to the end of the year as a highly-touted pick, it didn’t really mean much to me.
“I’ve discovered a superb steadiness between him simply being a superb supporting function mannequin to me as only a father or mother normally, but additionally I do love to select his mind.
“We’ll chat a couple of times throughout the week and after most games, reviewing the game … it just sets me up to be better prepared the week after, so I still really enjoy that balance.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
