Brandon Starcevich

Last updated

Brandon Starcevich
Brandon Starcevich 2018.4.jpg
Starcevich in August 2018
Personal information
Born (1999-07-24) 24 July 1999 (age 26)
Original team East Perth (WAFL)
Draft No. 18, 2017 national draft
Debut August 4, 2018, Brisbane Lions  vs. North Melbourne, at the Gabba
Height 187 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 92 kg (203 lb)
Position Defender
Club information
Current club West Coast
Playing career1
YearsClubGames (Goals)
2018–2025 Brisbane Lions 132 (8)
2026– West Coast 0 (0)
Total132 (8)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2025 season.
Career highlights
Source: AFL Tables

Brandon Starcevich (born 24 July 1999) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). Starcevich is the nephew of Brisbane AFL Women's coach Craig Starcevich. [1]

Contents

Early football

Starcevich is from Western Australia, [2] and was a Fremantle Dockers fan in his youth. [3] He originally played for Mt Lawley-Inglewood Junior Football Club. Starcevich joined West Australian Football League club East Perth, playing 20 colts games across 2016–17 and averaging 13 disposals. [4] He also played B Grade cricket for the Stirling Hawks Cricket Club with Daniel Pryce, athletics and football for Trinity College. Starcevich played for Western Australia in the 2017 AFL Under 18 Championships and attended the AFL Draft Combine. [3] However, he was limited by a quad injury. Starcevich tested at the WA State Draft Combine and won the 20 m (66 ft) sprint with a time of 2.87 seconds. [5] He was drafted by Brisbane with pick 18 in the 2017 national draft, their third selection, and was described as a 'contested bull'. [2]

AFL career

In 2018, Starcevich recorded five tackles and nine disposals in his debut against North Melbourne in round 20 [1] after strong form in the North East Australian Football League. [6] Soon after, he signed a two-year contract extension, tying him to Brisbane until 2021. [1] In the 13th round of the 2020 AFL season, he earned a 2020 AFL Rising Star nomination for his performance against St Kilda, where he collected 10 disposals and took four marks. [7]

At the start of the 2021 AFL season, Starcevich signed a four-year contract extension to remain with the Lions until the end of 2024. [8]

Following a breakout 2020 in which he played 18 games, Starcevich continued to grow his game in the 2021 AFL season with his name being brought into the conversation with the best medium defenders in the competition. Some of his defensive efforts were keeping Fremantle's Michael Walters to one goal, Sydney's Tom Papley to one goal, Collingwood's Jordan De Goey to one goal, Essendon's Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti to one goal and Adelaide's Eddie Betts goalless. [9]

Starcevich finished third with 51 votes in the Merrett–Murray Medal after the 2022 AFL season. [10]

Starcevich was a member of the Lions squad narrowly defeated by Collingwood in the 2023 AFL Grand Final. The following year, he was part of the Brisbane Lions 2024 premiership winning team in a 60-point victory over the Sydney Swans. [11]

Following the 2025 AFL season and a second premiership, Starcevich announced that he would be leaving the Lions to take up an offer with West Coast. [12] Starcevich ultimately moved to the Eagles as part of a three-way trade with Fremantle. [13]

Statistics

Updated to the end of the 2025 season. [14]

Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals  
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds  
  H  
 Handballs  
  M  
 Marks
  #  
Played in that season's 
premiership team
SeasonTeamNo.GamesTotalsAverages (per game)
GBKHDMTGBKHDMT
2018 Brisbane Lions 37412201636580.30.55.04.09.01.32.0
2019 Brisbane Lions 37100707210.00.07.00.07.02.01.0
2020 [a] Brisbane Lions 3718121254316857290.10.16.92.49.33.21.6
2021 Brisbane Lions 3724002168229890410.00.09.03.412.43.81.7
2022 Brisbane Lions 37243026890358107490.10.011.23.814.94.52.0
2023 Brisbane Lions 37261023372305116400.00.09.02.811.74.51.5
2024 # Brisbane Lions 3721111845523990380.10.18.82.611.44.31.8
2025 # Brisbane Lions 3714101063914551250.10.07.62.810.43.61.8
Career13254115939715525182310.10.08.83.011.83.91.8

Notes

  1. ↑ The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Honours and achievements

Team

Individual

References

  1. 1 2 3 Whiting, Michael (10 August 2018). "Lion's big week rolls on with new deal". afl.com.au. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  2. 1 2 Lacy, Bridget (25 November 2017). "Starry-eyed Starcevich ready for Lions lift-off". PerthNow . Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  3. 1 2 Hope, Shayne (22 November 2017). "AFL Draft 2018: Contest 'animal' Brandon Starcevich has white-line fever". The West Australian . Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  4. ↑ "Brandon STARCEVICH". www.wafl.com.au. West Australian Football League. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  5. ↑ Lacy, Bridget (15 October 2017). "Starcevich the stand-out at WA draft combine". The West Australian. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  6. ↑ Hamilton, Andrew (3 August 2018). "Brandon Starcevich's hard edge prompted the Lions to hand him his debut against the Kangaroos". news.com.au . Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  7. ↑ Twomey, Callum (25 August 2020). "Rising Star-cevich: Third-year Lion's time to shine". AFL Media. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  8. ↑ Whiting, Michael (5 March 2021). "Class of 2017 secured: Lions sign young pair on long-term deals". AFL.
  9. ↑ Whiting, Michael (15 May 2021). "'He's a brute': Young Lion taming game's elite". AFL.
  10. ↑ Whiting, Michael (30 September 2022). "Lion King: Neale caps stellar season with third Merrett-Murray Medal". AFL.
  11. ↑ "Lion Kings: Fagan's heroes thrash Swans in GF shock". AFL. 28 September 2024.
  12. ↑ Whiting, Michael (2 October 2025). "Dual premiership defender set to join Eagles as one of six Lions exits". AFL. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  13. ↑ @AFL_House (8 October 2025). "Three-club trade approved, including one player and multiple picks in the 2025 Telstra AFL Draft" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ↑ "Brandon Starcevich". AFL Tables. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
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