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NAB AFL Rising Star


The AFL Rising Star Award was instituted in 1993 to recognise and encourage talented young players in the AFL. The winner receives the Ron Evans Medal, in memory of the respected and loved former AFL Commission chairman. It has quickly become one of the League’s most sought-after and respected medals, not least because of the notable careers enjoyed by the Rising Stars, starting with inaugural winner Nathan Buckley.

One young player is nominated for the award after each round of home-and-away matches, with a panel of experts choosing the winner at the end of the season. To qualify for the NAB AFL Rising Star nomination, a player must be under 21 years of age as at January 1 of that year, must not have played more than 10 games to the start of that season and must not have been suspended by the AFL or State League tribunals during the season.

NAB Club Recognition Award eligibility rules

Previous Winners


Year Player Club Votes Recruited from
2011 Dyson Heppell
 Essendon
 44 Gippsland Power (VIC)
2010 Daniel Hannebery Sydney Swans 45 Kew (VIC)
2009 Daniel Rich Brisbane Lions 45 Subiaco (WA)
2008 Rhys Palmer
 Fremantle 44 East Fremantle (WA)
2007 Joel Selwood
 Geelong Cats
 44 Bendigo U18
2006 Danyle Pearce
 Port Adelaide
 43 Sturt (SA)
2005 Brett Deledio
 Richond 43 Kyabram/Murray U18
2004 Jared Rivers
 Melbourne 45 North Adelaide (SA)
2003 Sam Mitchell
 Hawthorn 33 Mooroolbark/Eastern U18
2002 Nick Riewoldt
 St Kilda 34 Southport (Qld)
2001 Justin Koschitzke
 St Kilda 31 Albury (NSW)/Murray U18
2000 Paul Hasleby
 Fremantle 33 East Fremantle (WA)
1999 Adam Goodes
 Sydney Swans
 33 Horsham/North Ballarat U18
1998 Byron Pickett
 North Melbourne
 30 Port Adelaide (SANFL)
1997 Michael Wilson
 Port Adelaide
 27 Port Adelaide (SANFL)
1996 Ben Cousins
 West Coast Eagles
East Fremantle (WA)
1995 Nick Holland
 Hawthorn
North Adelaide (SA)
1994 Chris Scott
 Brisbane Lions
Eastern U18
1993 Nathan Buckley
 Brisbane Lions
Port Adelaide (SANFL)

Note:  Votes kept in-house prior to 1997; votes listed since 2001.

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