Up and coming midfield maestro Will Ashcroft is set to return to action next week, with Brisbane coach Chris Fagan anticipating he will come straight back into the senior side.
The former 2022 No. 2 Draft Pick has been sidelined with an ACL injury since last July, but has been training fully for the past month and is now inching toward a Round 16 return against Melbourne at the Gabba.
"At this stage he's expected to be available next week, so it's going to be an interesting selection dilemma," Fagan told reporters on Thursday.
Fagan is eager to welcome back his young cub, stating that while it's too early to tell, the club's track record suggests his first game back will be in the AFL.
When asked if he is likely to re-enter through the VFL Fagan responded: "not necessarily. Cam Rayner after his knee... he came straight back in, Eric Hipwood came straight back in."
"It's too early to make that call because we haven't played this week yet, we don't know if we're going to get injuries, we don't know what the form's gonna be like... but a player of his ilk is very much capable of coming straight back into the team."
11 months on from his ACL injury, Will Ashcroft is nearing a much-needed return.https://t.co/dFTBUW6b41
— AFL (@AFL) June 20, 2024
The Lions will celebrate a major milestone of one their perennial superstars for this week's clash with Port Adelaide, as Harris Andrews brings up the double-ton.
Fagan was all-love for his intercepting king in his mid-week presser, reflecting on his earliest memories of Andrews and arguing his case as an all-time key defensive great.
"I could talk about Harris for half-an-hour", Fagan laughed.
"When I turned up, he might've been 20 or 21 and it struck me straight away just how professional he was.
"When he was a young 18-19 year-old playing AFL footy he was lining up on guys like Tom Hawkins at their peak.
"He got a few touch-ups early days but he's turned himself into arguably the best tall defender the game's seen in the last five or six years."
The Lions coach gives his superstar extra plaudits for the belief that the game is often set up to hinder the impact of players like Andrews, who thrive on disrupting the flow of opposition offence.
He may be anticipating some unwanted attention for the 27-year-old in his milestone match, given the recent trend of the intercepter tag.
"Obviously the game comes up with ways and means to negate players like Harris Andrews, who can intercept mark."
"That's probably been on the cards a little bit more in the competition than ever before, with Tom Stewart getting stopped a little bit and Luke Ryan getting stopped."
Speaking on Saturday's pivotal battle, Fagan reflected on their two Power matchups last season, one producing a shock loss that he granted his side a "mulligan" for, the other producing a Qualifying Final victory in response.
"It's a long time ago. Different people playing," Fagan remarked.
"You do have a look at 'why did we lose that game and why did we win that Qualifying Final'... that's been a topic of conversation this week."
"But you also have to look at what's going on currently, so it's a mixture of everything."
The impact of superstars Zak Butters, Connor Rozee and Jason Horne-Francis is clearly on the coaches mind, as is that of Dan Houston and Kane Farrell when they're left to roam unopposed.
"Definitely their midfield and their rebounding defenders."
"It's really clear the way that they play and it's probably really clear to them the way that we play."
"We're similar, we're territory sides, we like to get the ball in our front half, we like to keep it in their. It's who can do that the best."
For seemingly the first time this season, Fagan's side is relatively settled, with no more long-term injuries to deal with as of late, and the club charging back up the ladder after a tumultuous start.
"We've been pretty unstable, I guess, in some areas of our team and it's been good, definitely, the last few weeks to get a settled lineup."
"Noah Answerth hurt his shoulder in the reserves so he'll miss a little bit of time. He was our sub last week so we'll potentially only make the one change."
An upset win in hostile territory this weekend may prove definitively that the Lions are an ominous watch for the remainder of the season, sitting well within reach of a double chance, let alone a finals berth.
A late surge into September with some crucial inclusions may provide the platform for this side to rampage through the finals and make amends for last year's heartbreak.
