- Why Brandon chose West Coast over staying in Brisbane after eight years away from home
- The mindfulness and visualisation routine he uses on game day, influenced by Chris Fagan
- How a wake-up call from coach Peter Sumich shaped his entire AFL career
- The David Boon “own your space” lesson he took onto the footy field
- Club Scout: the grassroots football recruitment platform he is launching with family in 2026
“I really enjoyed the whole free agency process. It was obviously very different. But the decision to come back is mostly a personal one, what was best for me going forward.”
“I try to focus on the little things that, when I’m playing well, I do really well. Quick feet, being hard to play against, hitting a body. Then a quick little smile, just to relax myself again.”
BRANDON STARCEVICH
Big Games, Big Pressure: Playing Finals in Front of 90,000 PeopleStarcevich played some of the biggest games in recent AFL history with Brisbane, including multiple finals at the MCG in front of near-capacity crowds. His perspective on handling that pressure shifted significantly over time.“Early on you get involved in the hype and you’re not playing many games so the big ones feel very important,” he explains. “But once you do it a few times you start to appreciate it. There’s no point hiding from it. It’s a big game. You should relish those opportunities.”
Running out into a hostile crowd became something he genuinely looked forward to rather than feared. “You just look around and smile to yourself: how good is this? Playing for Brisbane it was always the biggest games, going down to the MCG playing in front of 90,000 where most of them weren’t cheering for you. Noise is noise at the end of the day.”
The Scoreboard Moment: Peter Sumich and the Wake-Up Call That Defined His CareerEvery athlete has a moment that redraws the line between who they were and who they became. For Starcevich, it came during his under-18s year in Western Australia.
Having been part of state programs since the under-16s, he arrived into his draft year carrying a back injury and, by his own admission, not taking care of himself properly. WA under-18s coach Peter Sumich pulled him aside and told him his past involvement counted for nothing.
“He said, ‘You’ve been involved in the state programs from 16s, but what you’ve done so far this year isn’t going to cut it. We’ll make you a train-on for this 18s team this year.'”
Rather than deflate him, the moment galvanised him. He trained harder, forced his way back into the squad, performed at the nationals carnival and was drafted at year’s end. “The reality check from Peter Sumich held me in good stead. It was a bit of adversity I had to face early in my sporting career. He sort of put me to it and made me lock in and sort myself out.”
David Boon and “Own Your Space”: The Cricket Lesson That Unlocked His AFL GameA few years into his AFL career, Starcevich attended a pre-season session where Australian cricket legend David Boon spoke to the Brisbane Lions group. The message was simple and it stuck.
Boon spoke about fielding in India’s hostile environments and the mindset required to perform when everything around you is working against you. His answer was to own your space: the specific patch of ground you are responsible for, the specific contest in front of you, nothing more.
“I took that out onto the footy field with me,” Starcevich says. “I’m going to own this space right here. I’m going to own this match-up and this next contest. I believe I’m capable of being there and doing it well.”
“Own your space. Own this match-up and this next contest. I believe I’m capable of being there and doing it well. That was the moment I stopped second-guessing myself.”
BRANDON STARCEVICH, ON THE DAVID BOON PHILOSOPHY HE APPLIED TO AFLHe is candid about the fact that this belief took time to build. “It probably took a couple of years into my career. Always believing that you belong wherever you are, that’s half the battle. Accepting that I was capable probably took a while to learn, and it can hold you back even just in your own mind.”
Club Scout: The Grassroots Football Business He Is Building in 2026Off the field, Starcevich is channelling his understanding of football’s recruitment gaps into a new venture. Club Scout, a platform he is building with uncle Craig and cousin Jackson, is designed to bring data-driven player valuations to local and community football.
“It’s a platform where local football players can get a valuation on how much they’re worth. And on the other side, for footy clubs, it helps them in their recruiting space and does it efficiently using actual data instead of reputations and guesswork that can be involved at the moment.”
The inspiration came partly from his own experience navigating AFL free agency. “Even going through the free agency stuff last year, players don’t fully know what they’re actually worth. At the top level we’ve got managers and agents who have their finger on the pulse, but at the lower levels you don’t have access to that stuff.”
The formula Club Scout uses generates a per-game value for each player, built on data rather than reputation or word of mouth. “Players really know what they’re actually worth and can take that back to their clubs. Whether that’s their own clubs or to go out and look for other opportunities.”
With Craig’s long career in football administration and coaching and Jackson’s direct experience as a local football player, Starcevich sees the family dynamic as a genuine advantage rather than a risk. “It’s probably a good way to get into the business side of things with family. It makes it a bit easier.”
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