Looking Ahead To The 2022 AFL Rising Star Award

Last updated: Feb 3, 2022, 2:03AM | Published: Feb 3, 2022, 1:52AM

One of the best parts of any AFL season is the emergence of young players in the infancy of their footballing careers.

Whether they were taken with the first pick of the National Draft, or the last pick of the Rookie Draft, seeing a young player make their debut is a highlight for any supporter and if they look good immediately, it’s a time for celebration.

It’s why the NAB AFL Rising Star Award, as maligned and criticised as it can be, is a title worth exploring and acknowledging, as a reason to celebrate the future of our game.

Each week, a player is nominated for the award, which can often be met with great resistance, but is ultimately a task that allows the footballing world to discuss the performances and quality of recent draftees.

And that’s what the competition often needs.

In times where games can feel like a slog, or negative news is dominating the landscape, discussing how a group of 18-year-olds played great games on any given round provides a light at the end of some dark tunnels.

2022 will be no different and it’s worth exploring some key contenders.

The Rising Star Award can be guilty of being a little formulaic in nature – excluding the mini-draft talents of Jaeger O’Meara and Jesse Hogan, who were contenders for best players in their respective drafts anyway, only Dan Hannebery and Lewis Taylor have won from a draft position beyond pick 13 since Danyle Pearce’s 2006 success.

Team success isn’t a key measurement necessarily, but playing almost every game is – only once has a player won the award having missed more than 3 games, Nick Holland in 1995.

Don’t despair if your team’s rookie hasn’t been nominated until later in the season either – Callum Mills won in 2016 having been nominated in Round 16.

It’s not necessarily a midfielder’s award either, with Sam Walsh and Caleb Serong the only winners to have played as genuine midfielders out of the last 8 victors.

So while the draft is far from an exact science and is often a “guesstimate” at best, if you were taken early, you’ll probably win the Rising Star award.

Here are some players to keep an eye out on this season:

Jason Horne-Francis and Nick Daicos

These two are lumped together because they were clearly the most hyped players heading into the 2021 AFL Draft and will be starting every game they are fit for North Melbourne and Collingwood respectively.

Both players have proven to be incredibly damaging forward of centre from the midfield which is eye-catching in nature and both players have ready-made AFL bodies that would indicate their proximity to stoppage situations will likely be high.

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan

There isn’t much doubting Ugle-Hagan’s ability and Bulldogs’ fans will be desperate to see more of their young star forward in action in 2022. There were flashes of brilliance in the limited opportunities her received in 2021, particularly his 3-goal performance against Gold Coast in Round 18, to suggest that a few bags and consistent game-time would have him as the runaway winner.

If we’re to believe in history and trends, all that’s standing in the second-year forward’s way is playing time.

Logan McDonald

In a very similar boat to Ugle-Hagan, McDonald is the sort of player that can rise to the occasion quickly if given the opportunity.

Despite kicking 3 goals against Brisbane in Round One, the 19-year-old played just 6 more games at senior level as the Swans became a finals contender and the more experienced forward options improved both their fitness and their output.

Much like his Bulldog opponent, McDonald’s path to becoming a Rising Star contender is predominately obstructed by playing time, particularly with the signing of Peter Ladhams.

Josh Ward

Ward was drafted to Hawthorn with the 7^th pick of last year’s draft and is the most likely of all draftees to play as a starting midfielder in an AFL team straight away.

The 18-year-old is very good at almost everything on the footy field and is as reliable a contributor as he is consistent. It’s a small sample size but for the Northern Knights last season, Ward averaged 30.2 disposals, 5.2 marks and 4.8 tackles, using his clean hands and decision making to be an extremely valuable weapon.

One would suspect that under Sam Mitchell, the kids will get a proper go to help fast-track the Hawk rebuild. We can expect Ward to play immediately and post great numbers.

Zach Reid

Here’s one for the reader – Zach Reid may be the best of Essendon’s 2020, first-round trio, surpassing the upside of both Nik Cox and Archie Perkins.

We only got one game out of Reid due to injury last season, playing in Round 5 against the Lions and finishing with 10 disposals, 5 tackles and 2 rebound 50s, but it’s his reading of the play and distribution as a key defender that should have Bombers fans salivating over his prospects.

It looks as though the Bombers are on the brink of creating something pretty special in the coming years and while he is still a little slight in size, it wouldn’t shock to see Reid break into Essendon’s best 22 this season and create a bit of buzz for himself.

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Denver Grainger-Barras

Another key defender, Grainger-Barras has absolutely incredible top-end potential, perhaps following in a similar trajectory to Jacob Weitering upon viewing his 5 games for Hawthorn and junior football.

What stands out most is the composure, reading of the game and versatility that draw the best comparisons to the Carlton champion, with Grainger-Barras oozing the class and poise in a key defensive post that will leave Hawthorn fans feeling calm about their future.

The 19-year-old will likely be a beneficiary again from Sam Mitchell’s youthful rebuild and should play plenty this season.

Elijah Hollands

There will be a few people who aren’t familiar with Hollands, but given there was considerable interest from opposition clubs in trying to acquire the 19-year-old a year removed from being selected at pick 7 in the Draft, he appears to be one of the league’s worst kept secrets.

Hollands is an incredible talent who will play predominately as a forward upon making his debut and immediately prove to be difficult to stop at an awkward, mid-size. He has the strength and marking ability to be a target, while being mercurial at ground level in a similar sense to what Robbie Gray provides around goals for Port Adelaide.

If he’s fully fit, Hollands should get plenty of game-time. Should that eventuate, it’ll be hard to ignore him to win the NAB AFL Rising Star Award.

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Dem Panopoulos

Dem is a lover of sport with a keen eye for analytics. A passion for statistics that defies logic given his MyCricket numbers, you can see and hear him share his thoughts and views on Twitter @dempanopoulos