Going on 50 years ago, Robert Shepherd was the first Queenslander to post a 30-possession game in the AFL.

The smooth-moving Sherwood and Wests star had 31 possessions playing with Fitzroy against North Melbourne at Arden Street Oval in Round 9 1977.

He was aged 21 years 107 days in his 36th AFL game as Fitzroy lost by 10 points to North in a game which had a distinctly ‘Queensland’ flavor about it.

Also playing for Fitzroy that day were four people who later had a massive influence on Queensland football – Norm Dare, later to be named Coach of the Queensland Team of the Century after success at Kedron and Southport, Kevin O’Keeffe, later to play at Coorparoo and captain Queensland, Graeme Allan, later to play a key administrative role at the Brisbane Lions, and sixth-gamer Brian Brown, who 44 games later posted his 50th game to pave the way for Lions great Jonathan Brown to join Brisbane as a father/son selection.

In the North side was Glenn Scanlon, a former Coorparoo player who played nine games with North and Footscray in 1978-79, and Frank Gumbleton, later to become a premiership coach at Windsor-Zillmere and the Queensland captain and coach.

And missing from the North side due to injury was the one and only ‘Galloping Gasometer’ Mick Nolan, later to become a premiership coach and State captain and coach at Mayne. 

It was the only 30-possession game in the 43-game AFL career at Fitzroy from 1975-77.

A member of the Queensland Football Hall of Fame, he was one of the State’s best talents, having been named vice-captain of the All-Australian Schoolboys vice-captain in 1972 after winning the J.L.Williams Medal as the best player at the national carnival.
 
After his stint at Fitzroy, which ended at 21 when he chose to return home, he was joint runner-up in the Grogan Medal again in 1980 before an early retirement.

Having turned 60 in February, Shephard lives these days in Sydney, but he continues to follow closely the fortunes of Queensland football, and will most likely read this to learn that on Saturday the Gold Coast SUNS’ Zeke Uwland became the 36th Queenslander to hit 30.

In his 13th game, Uwland was fifth quickest to 30 possessions and the second-youngest. 

The only players quicker to post a 30-possession game have been Brisbane’s Will Ashcroft, who did so in his second game in 2023, Collingwood’s Adam Oxley, who needed only four games, and Brisbane’s Dayne Zorko (eight games) and Cheynee Stiller (12 games).

Will Ashcroft was the youngest at 18 years 322 days, when he had 31 possessions (15 contested), nine clearances and a goal to earn three Brownlow Medal votes against Melbourne at the Gabba in Round 2 2023.

For the statistically minded, in chronological order, the 36 Queenslanders to have 30 possessions in an AFL game have been:-
1 – Robert Shepherd (Fitz)
2 – Scott McIvor (Fitz)
3 – Craig Potter (Syd)
4 – Stephen Lawrence (Haw)
5 – Marcus Ashcroft (Bris)
6 – Dean McRae (NM)
7 – Steve McLuckie (Bris)
8 – Michael Voss (Bris)
9 – Clint Bizzell (Geel)
10 – Jason Akermanis (Bris)
11 – Cheynee Stiller (Bris)
12 – Andrew Raines (Rich)
13 – Josh Drummond (Bris)
14 – Joel Macdonald (Bris)
15 – Sam Gilbert (StK)
16 – Dayne Beams (Coll)
17 – Jarrod Harbrow (WB)
18 – Nick Riewoldt (StK)
19 – Dayne Zorko (Bris)
20 – David Armitage (StK)
21 – Josh Thomas (Coll)
22 – Lee Spurr (Frem)
23 – Adam Oxley (Coll)
24 – Tom Bell (Carl)
25 – Josh Smith (Coll)
26 – Lachie Weller (Frem)
27 – Jack Bowes (GC)
28 – Ben Keays (Adel)
29 – Keidean Coleman (Bris)
30 – Will Ashcroft (Bris)
31 – Bailey Scott (NM)
32 – Alex Sexton (GC)
33 – Bodhi Uwland (GC)
34 – Alex Davies (GC)
35 – Jaspa Fletcher (Bris)
36 – Zeke Uwland (GC)

Dayne Beams, with 64 games of 30+ with Collingwood and Brisbane, heads the total count from Zorko (36), Michael Voss (24), Marcus Ashcroft (17), Scott McIvor (14), David Armitage (14), Will Ashcroft (14) and Jarrod Harbrow (13).

Zeke Uwland’s 32-possession game in the SUNS’ six-point loss to Collingwood at Carrara on Saturday earned him the Round 17 nomination for the AFL Rising Star Award, and four votes in the AFL Coach’s Association Player of the Year Award.

It was a real family affair in the sell-out game at Carrara, with brother Bodhi also picking up four coaches votes as he continues to push his case for All-Australian selection.

Also impressive in a beaten SUNS side was debutant Dylan Patterson, who looked right at home with nine possessions and a goal, and Beau Addinsall, who, in his third game, collected 26 possessions to rank among his side’s best.

Will Ashcroft topped the coach’s votes with nine in Brisbane’s outstanding 22-point win over Geelong in Geelong, having had a game-high 32 possessions to go with six clearances and seven score involvements.

Levi Ashcroft continued his hot run of form with 21 possessions, a goal and five clearances, while Round 16 Rising Star nominee Ty Gallup back it up with a 15 possessions, including eight intercept possessions. 

Mabior Chol kicked an equal career-high five goals – all in the second half – of Hawthorn’s bizarre 35-point loss to Melbourne in Launceston, when they trailed by 77 points at 1-3 to 13-8 to half-time.

Ex-Yeppoon junior Matt Hill, who debuted with Hawthorn after a football journey which saw him in the NRL with the Brisbane Broncos and Melbourne Storm, started nicely with eight possessions, two clearances and a goal assist from 57% game time
Such was the Melbourne domination early that Chol finished outside the votes.

Not so Adelaide’s Ben Keays, who picked up one vote in his side’s 25-point win over West Coast in Perth for his 13 possessions and three goals, while Aliir Aliir banked 13 possessions and a second win in a row as Port Adelaide accounted North Melbourne.

The sad news from a Queensland football perspective came out of the Western Bulldogs camp, where Connor Budarick suffered what shapes as a season-ending syndesmosis injury.  Having settled in beautifully at the Kennel, and become an important player for coach Luke Beveridge, Budarick will miss a minimum eight weeks.