AFL Rising Star Award

Thought id see what other peoples opinion on the rules for the Rising Star. This is a article from Martin Blake in The Age today knocking Jack Steven's nomination because he has been around for more then 1 year. Now before i go on here's the official rules about who can be nominated.

<blockquote>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. </blockquote>


And here is Martin Blakes opinion....


<blockquote> http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...ising-stars-20110531-1feok.html#ixzz1O0KzkE76

THIS is not against Jack Steven, a gutsy, little bloke who has barged his way into the St Kilda team as the Saints try to regenerate.

He is eligible for the AFL's Rising Star Award and as such has earned his nomination. But the question is whether he should be eligible.

Steven, 21, was drafted by St Kilda at the end of 2007 from Geelong under-18s, making him a fourth-year AFL player. Even though he has not played much senior football, he has had three full seasons and four pre-seasons on St Kilda's list, working with the development coaches, lifting weights, playing at Sandringham, extracting a few games with the Saints.

How does his situation compare with, say, Essendon's Dyson Heppell, 18, who also is nominated and is the favourite to win the award? Or with West Coast's Jack Darling, 18? Heppell has walked into Essendon's team and produced; Darling is holding down a key position in his first year. By virtue of the fact that he had only played nine senior games (the limit is 10) and was born in March (sneaking in by three months), Steven gets a level playing field with them.

The Rising Star is a good award as it is. It's had some great winners, right back to Nathan Buckley in 1993. But the selection criteria is wrong and always has been. It leaves the door open for quirks, such as the fact that a Jack Steven could win.

As an alternative, option one would be a first-year player award. Of course it wouldn't be perfect, because some first-year players like Heppell and Darling and Richmond's Reece Conca get extended game time and opportunity, and others like Melbourne's first-round pick Lucas Cook are not seen at all (at least not yet).

Players at lower clubs would almost certainly get a better opportunity to win the award in these circumstances because in the premiership contenders, teenage players struggle to get a game. But at least it would be simple, and relatively fair.

What about a James Podsiadly situation, you ask? Put an age cut-off in there as well, say 20 years of age. Then you get a true rising star.

Alternatively, the league could leave the current system, but cut the age limit from under 21 to under 20. The Steven situation shows that it's too generous right now.

Personally, I would go for the simpler version, and make it a first-year player award. It's just not right as it is.</blockquote>


Now i think its complete crap what he has written and his opinion. The rules have been around for ages and Jack is far from the first to get a nomination at his age and after being in the system for so long.
How is it fair on all the young kids that get drafted into the teams competing for a premiership over a sustained period who get very limited opportunity to actually break into a side and stay there. Look at Geelong & StKilda over past 5 years and how many kids they have actually been able to blood. Hawthorn did due to injuries and where are Collingwoods recent draft selections... To have it a 1st year players award is pretty much putting a line through any player drafted to a top 8 side as the teams rebuilding have a much greater opportunity of blooding these kids.. Might as well have 2 seperate awards for kids drafted to crap teams and kids drafted to top teams... Not all kids are AFL ready when they are drafted and need a year in the system to either bulk up and get upto the speed of the game which it requires to succeed at this level...

So what are peoples thoughts on this one? Is it fine as it is or should the rules be changed or maybe just tweaked?

 

I agree, if he was any good he would have been playing already.

 

@ Lucas.. Yep i agree, forgot to put that in actually was going to be a point... Not that that matters to the whole arguement that this bloke is trying to make. It is kinda funny that he makes it after a Saints player gets nominated though!! If he feels so strongly about it why not write about it before the season or something...

 

KEvin Sheehan has his say... Ive highlighted the best point at the end (ive only taken snippets from this article

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/115299/default.aspx

<blockquote>Already this year West Coast's Luke Shuey, who played six games last season, has received a nomination after struggling to overcome setbacks like a broken leg and glandular fever in 2010.

Geelong's Mitch Duncan did well to play eight games in a powerful side in 2010. He's received a nomination already this year and deserves to be in the pool for consideration.

Shane Savage, the young Hawk who had three games to his name before this season, has been rewarded for his emergence with a well-deserved NAB AFL Rising Star nomination.

Collingwood's Ben Reid had played eight games in the three years leading up to the 2010 season in which he received a nomination and is an excellent example of a taller player taking a bit more time to develop.

As for the suggestion, floated by Martin Blake in Wednesday's Age, that the NAB AFL Rising Star award be restricted to first-year players only, my response is that these awards already exist at a club level and through the AFL Players' Association and cater for first-year players from James Podsiadly through to Tom Scully using 2010 as an example.

If the Rising Star award was restricted to first-year players, seven of the past 18 winners would have been ineligible with Daniel Hannebery, Danyle Pearce, Jared Rivers, Nick Holland and Byron Pickett joining Riewoldt and Mitchell.

The NAB AFL Rising Star award has grown in profile and prestige over its 19-year history. I believe its nomination criteria have stood the test of time and will continue to do so.</blockquote>