Brisbane Lions star Will Ashcroft says he’s “pretty pissed” he was ruled ineligible to play in the 2026 State of Origin match following a selection backflip.
The dual Norm Smith medallist, who was born in Queensland but relocated to Victoria when he was 14, was set to qualify to play for the Big V, given he was drafted out of St Kilda City and captained both Sandringham Dragons and Vic Metro in his draft year.
That’s in line with the AFL’s selection criteria that a player’s Origin eligibility is determined by the state of the junior club they were drafted — not the state they were born in.
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However Ashcroft and the Lions were informed that the 21-year old would in fact not be available to play for Victoria in the February exhibition match.
Ashcroft’s snub comes despite Kysaiah Pickett, who was raised in both Western Australia and South Australia but was drafted out of Woodville West Torrens, being granted special permission to play in the Origin match.
And Ashcroft didn’t hide his feelings towards missing out on selection when asked about the matter.
“I like to think of myself (as a Victorian). I’ve played here since I was 14, I was part of a lot of Victorian teams all the way through and then was drafted out of the Sandy Dragons and St Kilda City,” he said.
“Apparently, they’ve decided now that I’m not eligible, so I’m not playing, unfortunately.
“I’m pretty pissed about it, but I think there’s been some changes to the criteria.
“I would have loved to play for Victoria, but unfortunately, it isn’t happening.”
Ashcroft is coming off a second-straight Norm Smith Medal performance in the Lions’ back-to-back premiership triumph.
The young gun already has a glowing resume from his 58 AFL games since joining Brisbane with the No. 2 pick in the 2022 National Draft as a father-son selection.
While Ashcroft won’t feature, teammate Hugh McCluggage will represent Victoria and ex-Lions Callum Ah Chee and Brandon Starcevich will team up with Charlie Cameron again for WA.
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