Become a member to join in Australia's biggest sporting debate, submit articles, receive updates straight to your inbox and keep up with your favourite teams and authors.
What a year it has been for Rising Star nominations. Whilst there has been plenty written about Harry Sheezel, Will Ashcroft, Bailey Humphrey, Mitchito Owens and Jye Amiss, lesser lights like Max Michalanney, Josh Weddle, Judd McVee, Darcy Wilmot and Jacob van Rooyen have all quietly embedded themselves in their teams’ best 22, whilst others like George Wardlaw (if you’re a betting man for 2024…) and Elijah Hewett have shown enough from limited opportunities to suggest they’ll be long term fixtures in their teams.
As I’ve written about the nominees each week – and watched their highlights – I’ve been struck by how seamlessly most of them have adjusted to the pace and pressure of AFL football. Whether midfield, forward, or back, they hit the ground running and are also depended on by their teammates to play a role.
That level of responsibility for players in their career infancy was almost unheard of but for prodigies until as recently as a decade ago, but in this era of high rotations and full ground presses, every player needs to pull their weight regardless of how many games they’ve played.
Mitchito Owens with Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
Prior to last years draft there was talk about the top group being as good as any, and that looks a good call even after only one home and away season. Eleven of last year’s first round draft received a nomination and among those that didn’t were Aaron Cadman and Cam Mackenzie, who showed enough in their senior outings to suggest they are still excellent long-term prospects, and Elijah Tsatas who because of injury only featured in the final four matches of the year. He, like Wardlaw, will still be eligible to win 2024’s Rising Star award.
But, without further ado, my 5-4-3-2-1:
5 – Harry Sheezel
Advertisement
There’s shouldn’t even be any argument over this. Sheezel is a star. Until March this year he’d never even played in defence, but like a quite a few crafty forwards before him he took to it with aplomb. Whilst his stats were somewhat padded by often taking the kickouts or from handball receives, it should also be recognised that ‘receivers’ are just that because their teammates actively seek to get the ball in their hands – see Nick Daicos.
Sheezel moves beautifully, is creative and can be absolutely devastating by foot. He is going to be a star of the competition for a long, long time and hopefully we’ll get to see that class and composure in the midfield before too long. Likely to win the Kangas’ B&F, which is just ridiculous for a first year player.
Harry Sheezel with Jack Ziebell. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
4 – Mitchito Owens
Saints supporters will not shut up about this guy, and with good reason. He’s powerful, courageous and kicks goals. He wants the ball in his hands when the pressure is on, and like many stars before him he has a happy knack of popping up and winning a clearance when the heat is on, and someone needs to step up. Plays like a seasoned pro even though he’s not yet 20 and whilst I’m not sure he’s ever going to be able to do anything more than pinch hit in the middle, even if his development stopped now he would still a long term player. An extra 20% though, and he’s pushing toward the absolute upper echelons and is suddenly that x factor the Saints have craved for years.
3 – Will Ashcroft
Very sadly, he did his knee in Round 19 and won’t feature until the middle of 2024 at absolute best. To that point though, he had done everything expected of him and more after arriving as one of the more highly touted draftees in recent history. In a powerful Lions midfield he had been inserted into their centre square rotation and was proving to be a great foil for Lachie Neale at the stoppages as well as on the outside.
Advertisement
He is courageous, he runs hard equally adept inside and outside and he was probably in the top five of the Lions’ B&F when he went down injured. They will miss him in the finals, but hopefully he has another dozen seasons after this one to make up for it.
Will Ashcroft. (Photo by Albert Perez/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
2 – Max Michalanney
A little bit off Broadway in South Australia and he plays in defence so doesn’t get the plaudits of his flashier contemporaries, but the Crows have a ripper in Michalanney. Plays on talls and smalls, hits the contest and the ball at pace, and whilst he wins contests and racks up the 1%ers he is also excellent at rebounding from defence.
He’s so good and so composed at this level that with a little bit of media love he could be this generation’s Tom Stewart, where all he needs to do is show up most weeks and he’ll end the season with an AA blazer. As the Crows look to ascend the ladder, this guy will be leading from the front (back).
1 – Jye Amiss
41 goals from a key forward in a team that certainly doesn’t move the ball in a manner that helps said key forward is nothing to be sneezed at in the first place, let alone doing so as a second-year player. Amiss flies for his marks, has great hands and is a lovely kick for goal. He’s the right size for a key forward and whilst there has been a late push for his 41 goals to be rated a little higher than fifth in the voting, he just doesn’t quite do enough without ball in hand for his performances to be rated higher than the others here.
