Which young gun at your club can win the Rising Star this year? We look at the top contenders
The Rising Star Award is always one of the most hotly contested honours in the AFL and 2019 looks like being no different. Chris Cavanagh sifts through every club’s young talent. VOTE
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They’re the players that give all fans hope for the future.
The next generation of superstars will step onto the AFL stage in 2019, or in some cases have already made their debuts.
The Rising Star Award is always one of the most hotly contested honours in the AFL and 2019 looks like being no different.
Chris Cavanagh sifts through every club for young talent who will become SuperCoach gold
SUPERCOACH: YOUNG GUNS, DRAFT STARS AND BARGAINS
TOP PICK: WALSH HAS SIGHTS ON ROUND 1 BLUE DEBUT
PRE-SEASON: 30 MOST POPULAR SUPERCOACH PICKS
ADELAIDE: DARCY FOGARTY
The Crows’ first pick in the 2017 draft at No.12, Fogarty burst onto the scene with immediate impact in his debut AFL season, kicking two goals in each of his first two matches. The mid-sized forward, who stands 193cm tall, has been likened to Hawthorn star Jack Gunston and was rated the best player in his draft by former Hawthorn recruiter Gary Buckenara. Fogarty finished his debut season with 10 games, averaging 8.4 disposals, 3.2 marks and kicking nine goals. Rated highly internally, he should push for a lot more senior selection next season.
TAB Rising Star odds: $13
SuperCoach: $242,700, Fwd
BRISBANE: ELY SMITH
Hailing from Yarrawonga, Smith was picked up by the Lions at No. 21 in last year’s draft and looks capable of making his mark early this season. The midfielder has a bigger body than many draftees at 188cm and 87kg and has been compared to Sydney’s Josh Kennedy as a player who is strong in one-on-one contests and stoppages. The 18-year-old won the Murray Bushrangers’ best-and-fairest in the TAC Cup and shone with 30 disposals (18 contested), nine clearances and five tackles in his one game for Vic Country in the under-18 national championships.
TAB Rising Star odds: $41
SuperCoach: $117,300, Mid
CARLTON: SAM WALSH
The word coming out of the Blues is to get this guy in your SuperCoach team straight away. The No.1 draft pick last year, Walsh has already impressed coaches and teammates on the training track and looks ready to step straight into the AFL. A Geelong Falcons product, Walsh averaged 29 disposals across 41 under-age matches recorded by Champion Data and Falcons talent manager Michael Turner said the 18-year-old was the best prepared player he’s ever seen and better than the likes of Luke Hodge, Gary Ablett Jr and Jonathan Brown at the same age.
TAB Rising Star odds: $7
SuperCoach: $207,300, Mid
COLLINGWOOD: ISAAC QUAYNOR
It might be tricky to break into a Magpies side coming off a Grand Final appearance, but Quaynor might have what it takes. The rebounding defender, who averaged 419m gained for Vic Metro in the under-18 national championships last year, is no stranger at Olympic Park having been part of Collingwood’s Next Generation Academy and also training with the club before being taken at pick No.13 in the draft. A proven ball-winner who has shown professionalism beyond his years on the track, Quaynor is considered a ready-made player.
TAB Rising Star odds: $34
SuperCoach: $153,300, Def
ESSENDON: JOSH BEGLEY
Bombers captain Dyson Heppell nominated Begley as his side’s most likely player to have a breakout season in 2018 after the forward had made an impressive finish to 2017. Problem was, Begley managed just five games last season before suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Anzac Day. A medium-sized forward listed at 188cm and 89kg, Begley was taken at pick No.31 in the 2016 draft and is hard to stop in the air and on the ground. If he can return to fitness, the player nicknamed “Fridge” could prove a big part of the Bombers’ forward line.
TAB Rising Star odds: $34
SuperCoach: $167,600, Fwd
FREMANTLE: STEFAN GIRO
The hard-running midfielder arrived at Fremantle via pick No.21 in the 2017 rookie draft and made his mark immediately. Giro played 10 games for the Dockers across the back half of the season, averaging 14.7 disposals, 3.5 tackles and 20 pressure acts a game. Giro, who turns 20 in March, went on to win the Dockers’ 2km time trial for the club’s younger players in November and looks primed to take his game to another level this year.
TAB Rising Star odds: $51
SuperCoach: $269,800, Fwd
GEELONG: ESAVA RATUGOLEA
This big man was the talk of Geelong in the first half of last season before a broken leg cut short his debut year in Round 10. A former soccer and rugby player who only took up football in 2013, the 197cm Ratugolea’s upside is as big as his frame. In his eight games last season, the 20-year-old averaged 8.6 disposals, 3.3 marks and kicked seven goals. The Cats say Ratugolea, who returned to training with the main group in early December, hasn’t lost anything as a result of the injury and will be hoping to see him develop into a genuine weapon this year.
TAB Rising Star odds: $13
SuperCoach: $295,200, Fwd
GOLD COAST: IZAK RANKINE
Like Richmond’s Jack Higgins the year before, Rankine was rated by Champion Data as the best player in the 2018 national draft. The West Adelaide product was the No.1 ranked player at both the 2017 and 2018 under-18 national championships and averaged 16 disposals while leading every player for goals, assists and score involvements in 2018. Rankine has been compared to Hawthorn’s Luke Breust and, having already played against men in the SANFL, looks ready to make an impact straight away at AFL level. Expect plenty of opportunity to come at the Suns next season.
TAB Rising Star odds: $11
SuperCoach: $198,300, Fwd
GWS GIANTS: SAM TAYLOR
A Round 17 Rising Star nominee last season, the defender played eight games for the Giants after making a Round 11 debut, averaging 8.9 disposals and three tackles. Taylor spent time on Richmond’s Josh Caddy, Brisbane’s Eric Hipwood and Hawthorn’s Luke Breust and showed improvement across the year. Selected at pick No.28 in the 2017 draft, Taylor inked a one-year contract extension until the end of 2020 in August, the Giants identifying him as being a key cog in their defence well into the future.
TAB Rising Star odds: $15
SuperCoach: $268,000, Def
HAWTHORN: JACK SCRIMSHAW
A Hawks fanatic growing up, Scrimshaw found his way back to Victoria during the trade period last year after two seasons with Gold Coast. The 20-year-old, who was selected at pick No.7 in the 2017 draft, managed just four games over two years for the Suns and spent 2018 toiling away in the NEAFL. Injury-interrupted pre-seasons and off-field issues were part of the problem, but the defender believes that is all now behind him as he prepares for a fresh start.
TAB Rising Star odds: $19
SuperCoach: $149,800, Def
MELBOURNE: MARTY HORE
While technically not eligible to win the Rising Star award due to his age, the 22-year-old defender is still expected to be a rising star in the eyes of many and shapes as a SuperCoach bargain. Hore, who graduated from the Bendigo Pioneers TAC Cup program in 2015, went on to develop his game with Collingwood’s VFL side. He stands 189cm tall and has played 33 VFL games over the past two years, leading Collingwood in disposals, marks, contested marks and rebound 50s while also being named a two-time back pocket in the VFL Team of the Year. Hore is considered one of the top mature-age recruits this year and a player capable of stepping straight into the AFL.
TAB Rising Star odds: N/A
SuperCoach: $117,300, Def
NORTH MELBOURNE: LUKE DAVIES-UNIACKE
The Kangaroos’ top draft pick in 2017 at No.4, LDU showed enough to suggest he can be key cog in the midfield for years to come during a seven-game debut season in 2018. While he averaged only 10.4 disposals and 2.4 tackles from his AFL appearances, Davies-Uniacke developed across the season and averaged 24 disposals from his final three games of the year in the VFL. The Kangaroos have already signed him until 2021 and will be hoping he can repay the faith sooner rather than later.
TAB Rising Star odds: $13
SuperCoach: $197,500, Mid
PORT ADELAIDE: CONNOR ROZEE
There is plenty of excitement around this homegrown South Australian product, who the Power selected with Pick No.5 in last year’s draft. The speedy midfielder is athletic, skilful and a strong mark and shone brightly playing against men in the SANFL late last year. Likened to Fremantle’s Andrew Brayshaw, Rozee averaged 104 SuperCoach points at the 2017 under-18 championships before moving forward in 2018 and averaging only 74 points. However, expect early AFL opportunities to come this year and the 18-year-old to grab them with both hands.
TAB Rising Star odds: $26
SuperCoach: $189,300, Def-Fwd
RICHMOND: SHAI BOLTON
With Dan Butler set to return from injury, it will not be easy for small forward Bolton to break into the Richmond side but he believes he can. Possessing a stunning highlight reel, Bolton won the VFL Goal and Mark of the Year awards last season, having been stuck in the seconds for all but three games. However, the 20-year-old chose to stay at Punt Rd and signed a new one-year deal for 2019, the Tigers confident the “extreme talent” - who was pick No.29 in the 2016 draft - can find more consistency in his game.
TAB Rising Star odds: $34
SuperCoach: $146,600, Fwd
ST KILDA: NICK COFFIELD
Snapped up at pick No.8 in the 2017 draft, Coffield averaged 14.8 disposals across 10 games in his debut season. Initially running through the midfield, he was later pushed to half-back where he spent much of the second half of the season for Sandringham in the VFL and further developed his game. By the scales, Coffield has not put any real weight but his skinfolds are down and he appears to have bulked up over the off-season as the 191cm 19-year-old eyes a move back into the midfield.
TAB Rising Star odds: $17
SuperCoach: $286,100, Def
SYDNEY: NICK BLAKEY
The son of former Fitzroy and North Melbourne star John Blakey, the Sydney Swans Academy member is an athletic tall at 194cm who can play a variety of positions. Growing pains interrupted his final two seasons of under-age football but Blakey still averaged 18 disposals and 4.5 goals in the AFL Academy Series for Sydney last year and has shown the ability to tear games apart with his elite running ability. Likened to Essendon’s Jake Stringer, Blakey still has work to do to prove himself at AFL level but should get opportunities to do so early in the season.
TAB Rising Star odds: $26
SuperCoach: $166,800, Fwd
WEST COAST: JARROAD BRANDER
Selected at Pick No.13 in the 2017 draft, Brander shapes as a promising key-position prospect. The 195cm big man played one game in Round 13 last season and was quiet with just five disposals and three marks up forward but he was later swung to defence at WAFL level with some success. The Eagles were clearly impressed with his first year for they locked him away until 2021 with a contract extension and will be hoping he can make more inroads in 2019.
TAB Rising Star odds: $41
SuperCoach: $135,700, Fwd
WESTERN BULLDOGS: BAILEY SMITH
Vic Metro’s MVP in the under-18 national championships last year, the midfielder won the second-most disposals of any player behind only No.1 draft pick Sam Walsh. Compared to Adelaide’s Brad Crouch, Smith also ranked in the top-five for contested possessions, clearances and pressure points to be ranked by Champion Data as the third-best player in last year’s draft. The No.7 draft pick has been battling a sore Achilles since August but is expected to join full training this month as he pushes for an early-season debut.
TAB Rising Star odds: $17
SuperCoach: $180,300, Mid
Originally published as Which young gun at your club can win the Rising Star this year? We look at the top contenders
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