Roughead grabs a nomination
Hawthorn's emerging key position player Jarryd Roughead has won the round 19 nomination for the 2005 NAB Rising Star Medal, for his performance against the Bris
Hawthorn's emerging key position player Jarryd Roughead has won the round 19 nomination for the 2005 NAB Rising Star Medal, for his performance against the Brisbane Lions on Sunday.The 18-year old made his AFL debut in round three this year against Essendon, and has played 13 games since."It's obviously a great honour, and I suppose being the third Hawthorn player it's good that everyone is noticing us," he said on Tuesday. "We're all young, and they're all giving us a chance, so it's good."In the past four weeks, Roughead has averaged 18 possessions per game, and his best performance for the season was the game that won him the nomination, where he had 20 disposals and took seven marks.An exciting key position prospect with a calm head under pressure and a safe pair of hands, Roughead has proven his versatility with strong performances up forward and in defence.He played his first few games up forward, kicking two goals in his debut match against the Bombers. In Round 15 against Adelaide in Launceston the talented teenager played a stellar match in defence, even drifting forward in the dying minutes of the game to take a hanger before calming slotting through his sixth goal for the season.Roughead was the number two selection in the 2004 NAB AFL Draft, and was selected as Hawthorn's first pick.Originally from Gippsland Power, Roughead played his junior football for Leongatha, and was a member of the AIS-AFL Academy in 2003 with teammate Lance Franklin.His nomination means that each of the three players drafted by the Hawks with the first seven selections overall at last year's draft – Franklin and Jordan Lewis were the others – have been nominated for the Rising Star Award."Obviously it's good that all three of us now have been nominated," he said. "I'd say Jordan would be favourite at the moment out of us three, but it wouldn't worry me at all (if either Lewis or Franklin won)."Obviously the club has had a good record with a couple of winners in it, but with three nominations now it's a good chance for one of us to get it."
