You would think the son of a 300-game Brisbane champion might have grown up barracking for the Lions, but Will Ashcroft will take on the AFL club he loved most as a child this Saturday.
Triple premiership Lion Marcus Ashcroft couldn't convince his son to support the club. Instead, former teammate Nigel Lappin swayed the prodigious young talent to follow the club where he's 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 said.
"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 really looked forward to playing them in the practice match and now to play them in the home-and-away season, it'll be really exciting for me and for the team to get back on track."
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 really red hot and they were always going to come good," he said.
"Obviously a slow start, but the club that they are, they're always going to come good.
"They'll pick up their form towards the finals, so this will be a good clash this week."
Rising Star favourite Ashcroft has quickly become a dependable member of the Brisbane midfield mix, and is yet to miss a game in his rookie season while averaging a crisp 22 disposals.
With his father back in Melbourne, he said stepping out of his legendary dad's shoes had been easy.
"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 said.
"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 found a good balance between him just being a good supporting role model to me as just a parent in general, but also I do love to pick his brain.
"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."
