The Brisbane Lions have a proud history in the AFL’s Rising Star Award, having delivered the first two winners of the coveted award.
Levi Ashcroft this week became the club’s 50th nomination for what is considered the equivalent of the Brownlow Medal for young AFL players, won in 1993 by Nathan Buckley when he joined the League via the Brisbane Bears, and in 1994 by Chris Scott, Daniel Rich in 2009 and Lewis Taylor in 2014 are also past winners while donning Lions colours.
No less than 17 current players have earned a Rising Star nomination – 14 wearing Lions colours and three before moving to Brisbane.
The Brisbane nominees in chronological order are Darcy Gardiner (2014), Harris Andrews (2015), Eric Hipwood and Hugh McCluggage (2017), Cam Rayner (2018), Noah Answerth (2019), Brandon Starcevich (2020), Deven Robertson (2021), Will Ashcroft, Darcy Wilmot and Jaspa Fletcher (2023), Kai Lohman and Logan Morris (2024) and now Levi Ashcroft (2025).
Charlie Cameron was nominated at Adelaide in 2015, Josh Dunkley at the Western Bulldogs in 2016 and Tom Doedee at Adelaide in 2018, when the forgotten man of the 2025 Brisbane list was runner-up in the final voting to Collingwood’s Jaidyn Stephenson.
The notable absentee's from this list include Lachie Neale, he was only eligible in his first season at Fremantle in 2012, when in 11 games he averaged 11.3 possessions and kicked 4 goals, having started as the substitute three times and been subbed out twice.
Dayne Zorko is another big-name who never won a rising star nomination but he was too old when he debuted at 23 in 2012.
To be eligible players must be under 21 years of age on 1 January of the season in question, and have played 10 or fewer AFL games prior to the start of the season.
Two Brisbane players have been nominated twice for the Rising Award – Luke Power in 1998-99 and Alex Witherden in 2017-18.
Brisbane nominees have been:
1993 – Nathan Chapman, Nathan Buckley
1994 – Chris Scott, Matthew Clarke
1995 – Steven Lawrence
1997 – Daniel Bradshaw
1998 – Luke Power
1999 – Shane O’Bree, Simon Black, Luke Power, Tim Notting
2000 – Beau McDonald
2001 – Damien Cupido, Robert Copeland
2002 – Jamie Charman
2003 – Jared Brennan, Ashley McGrath
2004 – Richard Hadley
2005 – Justin Sherman, Jed Adcock, Troy Selwood, Anthony Corrie
2006 – Michael Rischitelli, Cheynee Stiller
2007 – Cameron Wood, Mitch Clark
2008 – Bradd Dalziell
2009 – Daniel Rich
2010 – Todd Banfield, Tom Rockliff, Jack Redden
2012 – Claye Beams, Mitch Golby
2013 – Sam Mayes
2014 – James Aish, Lewis Taylor, Darcy Gardiner
2015 – Harris Andrews
2017 – Eric Hipwood, Hugh McCluggage, Alex Witherden
2018 – Alex Witherden, Cam Rayner
2019 – Noah Answerth
2020 – Brandon Starcevich
2021 – Deven Robertson
2023 – Will Ashcroft, Darcy Wilmot, Jaspa Fletcher
2024 – Kai Lohmann, Logan Morris
2025 – Levi Ashcroft
