Bruce Reville will make his AFL finals debut as the Brisbane Lions field a record nine Queenslanders in Saturday night’s AFL semi-final against the Gold Coast Suns at the Gabba - the biggest game in Queensland football history.

Reville, included last night as the replacement for the injured Lachie Neale, will join fellow Queenslanders Harris Andrews, Dayne Zorko, Will and Levi Ashcroft, Charlie Cameron, Jaspa Fletcher, Sam Marshall and Ty Gallop in the Brisbane side.

And that’s despite the absence due to injury of 2024 premiership Queenslanders Eric Hipwood and Jack Payne, and Keidean Coleman, who was the Lions’ best player in the 2023 grand final.

Gallop, who played his first final in just his third AFL game against Geelong last week, retained his spot for what will be his first QClash when coach Chris Fagan left out ex-Sun Sam Day to recall Oscar McInerney.

The Suns stuck with the same side that beat Fremantle by a point last week and will field five Queenslanders - Connor Budarick, Alex Davies, Ethan Read, Bodhi Uwland and Lachie Weller.

The 14-man Queensland contingent for QClash #30 and QClash Final #1 obliterates the record for most Queenslanders in an AFL final, set in 2004 and equalled last week when Brisbane, with the eight Queenslanders listed above, lost to a Geelong side which included Cairns junior Jack Bowes.

In 2004, when Brisbane beat St. Kilda by 80 points in a Gabba qualifying final, Michael Voss led a home side that included Jason Akermanis, Mal Michael, Robert Copeland and Joel Macdonald against a Saints outfit with four Queensland products - Nick Riewoldt, Max Hudghton, Trent Knobel and Brett Voss.

McInerney, the heartbreak story of last year when he missed the premiership due to an injury in the preliminary final, will play his 12th AFL game of this year and his first since the Round 20 clash with Gold Coast, when the Lions were beaten by 11 goals.

The Big O has played four games in the VFL in the past five weeks to clinch his return, averaging 21.5 possessions, 22 hit-outs and 9.75 clearances, and kicking three goals.

Reville, in his second AFL season at 24, has played 10 AFL games this year including Rounds 19, 21, 22, 23, and 24. His finals debut will come in his 23rd game in a side which, for the second week in a row, will include three teenagers and eight players aged 22 or younger.

Gallop (19), Marshall (19) and Levi Ashcroft (18) were three of only four teenagers playing in week one of the finals.

Eight players aged 22 or younger in the Lions semi-final side is three more than were in the grand final side last year - Kai Lohmann (21), Will Ashcroft (20), Jaspa Fletcher (20), Darcy Wilmot (20) and Logan Morris (19).

The Lions will take a 21-8 aggregate QClash record into Saturday night’s sudden-death sell-out, and the comforting knowledge that they have won the last seven games between the clubs at the Gabba.

The last time the Suns beat the Lions at the Gabba was Round 5 2018 in what was Zac Bailey’s second game and Cam Rayner’s fifth game. Only Bailey, Rayner, Andrews, Zorko, Cameron, Ryan Lester, Darcy Gardiner, Hugh McCluggage and Jarrod Berry of that side will play on Saturday night.

The only ‘survivors’ from that Suns side are Brayden Fiorini, who received the three Brownlow Medal votes, Ben Ainsworth, David Swallow, Lachie Weller, Jarrod Witts and Touk Miller, who won the second of his four Marcus Ashcroft Medals.

The Ashcroft Medal, traditionally presented to the player judged best afield in the QClash, will not be on offer on Saturday night because it is a final.

But that won’t stop Zorko from adding to an already big finish to the 2024 season by improving his already imposing QClash record – and potentially adding an AFL all-derby record.

Coming off his 300th game in the last round of the home-and-away season, Zorko holds the record for most QClash appearances (26), possessions (559), wins (19) and tackles (142), and is third for clearances (75) and goal assists (15), fifth for goals (21) and seventh for Brownlow Medal votes (8).

Now, among 1189 players all-time to play in an AFL ‘derby’ in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia, a Lions win over the Suns on Saturday night would make him the first to enjoy 20 wins.

The 36-year-old, with a 19-7 record for Brisbane against Gold Coast, would go one derby win ahead of Fremantle’s Matthew Pavlich, who had a 19-15 record against West Coast in the WA derby.

Fremantle’s David Mundy (17-14) and Sydney’s Dane Rampe (17-7) are next on the all-derby win list, from West Coast’s Jack Darling (15-11), Adelaide’s Taylor Walker (15-10), Brodie Smith 15-9) and Scott Thompson (15-10), and Sydney’s Luke Parker (15-10) and Jake Lloyd (15-10).

Zorko is 9th for all-time AFL derby appearances behind Pavlich (34), Port’s Travis Boak (33). Mundy (31), West Coast’s Shannon Hurn (28), Port’s Kane Cornes (27), Adelaide’s Andrew McLeod (27), West Coast’s Dean Cox (27) and GWS’ Callan Ward (27).

The QClash record-holder is equal with Fremantle’s Aaron Sandilands, GWS’ Lachie Whitfield and West Coast’s Jack Darling (now at North Melbourne).

QClash Key Stats (top 10 plus ties)

GAMES
26 – Dayne Zorko (B)
23 – David Swallow (GC)
21 – Ryan Lester (B)
19 – Daniel Rich (B)
18 – Harris Andrews (B)
17 – Touk Miller (GC)
17 – Jarrod Harbrow (GC)
16 – Hugh McCluggage (B)
16 – Darcy Gardiner (B)
16 – Eric Hipwood (B)
16 – Ben Ainsworth (GC)

POSSESSIONS
559 – Dayne Zorko (B)
472 – David Swallow (GC)
408 – Touk Miller (GC)
402 – Hugh McCluggage (B)
395 – Daniel Rich (B)
371 – Tom Rockliff (B)
351 – Pearce Hanley (B/GC)
340 – Lachie Neale (B)
317 – Ryan Lester (B)
316 – Jarrod Harbrow (GC)

GOALS
35 – Charlie Cameron (B)
27 – Tom Lynch (GC)
22 – Eric Hipwood (B)
22 – Ben King (GC)
21 – Dayne Zorko (B)
19 – Joe Daniher (B)
18 – Alex Sexton (GC)
16 – Dan McStay (B)
16 – Ben Ainsworth (GC)
15 – Zac Bailey (B)
15 – Lincoln McCarthy (B)

BROWNLOW MEDAL VOTES
12 – Jarryd Lyons (B/GC)
11 – Lachie Neale (B)
10 – Pearce Hanley (B/GC)
9 – Tom Rockliff (B)
9 – Touk Miller (GC)
9 – Dayne Beams (B)
8 – Dayne Zorko (B)
7 – Brayden Fiorini (GC)
6 – Simon Black (B)
6 – Gary Ablett (GC)

TACKLES
142 – Dayne Zorko (B)
89 – Touk Miller (GC)
87 – David Swallow (GC)
69 – Tom Rockliff (B)
66 – Jarrod Berry (B)
66 – Matthew Rowell (GC)
65 – Jarryd Lyons (B/GC)
63 – Hugh McCluggage (B)
60 – Jarrod Witts (GC)
58 – Daniel Rich (B)
58 – Gary Ablett (GC)

CLEARANCES
85 – David Swallow (GC)
82 – Touk Miller (GC)
75 – Dayne Zorko (B)
70 – Lachie Neale (B)
69 – Jarryd Lyons (B/GC)
66 – Hugh McCluggage (B)
64 – Tom Rockliff (B)
61 – Matt Rowell (GC)
60 – Gary Ablett (GC)
56 – Daniel Rich (B)

GOAL ASSISTS
20 – Hugh McClugggage (B)
16 – Ben Ainsworth (GC)
15 – Dayne Zorko (B)
13 – Jarryd Lyons (B/GC)
12 – Pearce Hanley (B/GC)
11 – Daniel Rich (B)
11 – Tom Lynch (GC)
10 – Callum AhChee (GC/B)
10 – David Swallow (GC)
9 – Tom Rockliff (B)
9 – Charlie Cameron (B)
9 – Cam Rayner (B)
9 – Touk Miller (GC)
9 – Gary Ablett (GC)

ASHCROFT MEDALS
4 – Touk Miller (GC)
3 – Dayne Beams (B)
2 – Gary Ablett (GC)
2 – Jarryd Lyons (B)
2 – Pearce Hanley (B)
2 – Dayne Zorko (B)
2 – Lachie Neale (B)
1 – Jared Brennan (GC)
1 – Simon Black (B)
1 – Tom Rockliff (B)
1 – Jonathan Brown (B)
1 – Matthew Leuenberger (B)
1 – Charlie Dixon (GC)
1 – Tom Lynch (GC)
1 - Mitch Robinson (B)
1 – Charlie Cameron (B)
1 – Zac Bailey (B)
1 – Will Ashcroft (B)
1 – Matt Rowell (GC)