Brisbane Lions midfielder Will Ashcroft wins the Norm Smith Medal

Ashcroft was forced to watch the grand final from the sidelines, with football manager Danny Daly guiding him through the emotions of being out of the team when there was a trophy to be won.

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Realizing Ashcroft needed care at that moment, Daly got up and spent time with the teen. “You take care of yourself and hopefully it makes a difference,” Daly said.

Ashcroft said Daly’s message was simple: “Your time will come if you keep working hard.”

There was no doubt that the young star would do that.

Half an hour after the club’s devastating loss to Collingwood, Will stood in the middle of the MCG, looked around and vowed he would do the work to get his team back there as quickly as possible. “I was obviously devastated,” Ashcroft said. “I have committed myself for this year.”

Despite his natural impatience, he began his rehabilitation day by day, and by round 17 of this season he was ready to return.

Coach Chris Fagan had no hesitation in putting him back into the team straight away, and he started working his way back into form, with his brilliance coming to the fore by the time of the final. Ashcroft continued to do the basics exceptionally well and was the reason the Lions came from 44 points down in the semi-final to beat the Giants. He also gave the handball to Cam Rayner in the final minutes of the preliminary final to help him kick the sealer.

During grand final week, Marcus, who was 30 when he played in the first of his three grand finals, told him to play his way. After the match he was amazed at what had happened. “It’s one of those things where you think, ‘how did that happen, but I also have so much admiration and pride in the work he did,’” Ashcroft said.

On the grand final day, Will teamed up with the equally unstoppable Lachie Neale, a double Brownlow medalist on whom Will based his game and went to work.

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The pair combined for 14 goals, with their work from the middle in the second quarter leading to the avalanche of goals that broke the game open. When Ashcroft scored a goal in the third quarter as the celebrations started to break out, he glanced at the scoreboard and thought a Norm Smith medal was not out of the question.

“I don’t think about it too much, but when I scored that goal I saw my stats and thought I was doing well,” Ashcroft said.

He had averaged 7.7 goals in the last six games of the season and was involved in 10 scores as he powered the Lions to a flag, the missing link from the previous season that proved how much he was missed.

The ultimate professional, he spoke for five minutes straight after the song about what happened in the match he will forever be attached to.

“It’s incredible,” Ashcroft said. “We only wanted to get one (flag) and now we are chasing more.”

With his brother Levi participating in this year’s national trek, it’s hard to imagine the hunt won’t be a success.

Known for being ultra-disciplined, he didn’t hesitate for a moment when asked if he would let his hair down after this win. “Damn oath,” Ashcroft said.

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