How the Rising Star is picked

Grant Baker From: Herald Sun

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THE AFL has admitted that not all games are necessarily viewed before a Rising Star nomination is selected each week. - (this undermines the whole award)

The weekly Rising Star award nominations have raised eyebrows in recently, with Cat Allen Christensen unrewarded for a 25-possession, two-goal game against Brisbane in Round 17.

Christensen was recognised this week after notching up a further swag of possessions and a pair of goals against Richmond.

With only six rounds to go, young talent including Andrew Gaff, Tom Liberatore, Luke Dahlhaus, Nathan Vardy, Michael Hibberd, Alex Johnson, Ashley Smith, Liam Jones and Tom Lynch are yet to be nominated, and therefore not yet eligible to be crowned this year's Rising Star.

AFL operations manager Adrian Anderson said national talent manager Kevin Sheehan took sole responsibility for nominating a Rising Star each week.

“Basically Kevin Sheehan keeps a very close eye on the eligible players - they have to have played 10 or less games coming into the year and be under the age of 21,” Anderson said.

“He provides his nomination at the football operations meeting each Monday morning.”

Asked on 3AW if Sheehan had watched all eight games in time for the Monday morning meeting, Anderson said: “I don't know if he's watched all eight, how he keeps track of their performances, but he does (keep track).

“Not necessarily (that he would have to watch all eight games), he might talk to people whose opinion he respects, he looks at the stats, he speaks to the clubs. (What a joke)

“No one knows the young and emerging talent in the competition as well as Kevin Sheehan, to my knowledge.”

bornadog, I posted this in the Rising Star thread just a little while back. ;)

This is truly the 'who cares' award. The names of winners over the years aren't exactly a who's who of football (with a few exceptions of course). Rising Star? Do they even know what that means? They should just call it the 'Early Maturer' award.

He looks at stats.

Fantastic.


The rising star winner is the kid who does best in Kevin Sheehan's Supercoach side.

Yeah, I reckon I could tell who really played well because of their stats! NOT!:mad:

It's amazing that one bloke picks it, considering it's status.

Haha I saw this thread and for some reason thought the Rising Star Hotel was chosen for something.