2026 AFL Rising Star
| 2026 AFL Rising Star | |
|---|---|
| Sponsored by | Telstra |
| Date | 25 August 2026 |
| Country | Australia |
| Ron Evans Medallist | Jagga Smith (Carlton) |
The Telstra AFL Rising Star award is given annually to a standout young player in the Australian Football League (AFL). The winner also receives the Ron Evans Medal, named for the former AFL chairman.[1]
The 2026 winner was Jagga Smith, from the Carlton Football Club.[2]
Eligibility
[edit]Every round, a nomination is given to a standout young player who performed well during that particular round. To be eligible for nomination, a player must be under 21 on 1 January of that year and have played ten or fewer senior games before the start of the season; a player who is suspended may be nominated, but is not eligible to win the award.[1]
Nominations
[edit]| ^ | Winner |
|---|---|
| * | Ineligible to win the Rising Star due to suspension. |
| Number | Club | Player | Nom. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | |||
| Carlton | Jagga Smith | 1 | |
| Harry Dean | 12 | ||
| Talor Byrne | 20 | ||
| Billy Wilson | 24 | ||
| 3 | |||
| Essendon | Jacob Farrow | 5 | |
| Sullivan Robey | 9 | ||
| Dyson Sharp | 19 | ||
| Gold Coast | Leo Lombard | 0 | |
| Jai Murray | 15 | ||
| Zeke Uwland | 17 | ||
| Richmond | Sam Grlj | 7 | |
| Patrick Retschko | 11 | ||
| Jasper Alger | 14 | ||
| West Coast | Jobe Shanahan | 2 | |
| Willem Duursma | 3 | ||
| Josh Lindsay | 10 | ||
| 2 | Greater Western Sydney | Phoenix Gothard | 6 |
| Riley Hamilton | 18 | ||
| 1 | Brisbane Lions | Ty Gallop | 16 |
| Collingwood | Sam Swadling | 23 | |
| Geelong | Mitchell Edwards | 21 | |
| North Melbourne | Cooper Trembath | 4 | |
| Port Adelaide | Jack Whitlock | 8 | |
| Sydney | Jesse Dattoli | 22 | |
| Western Bulldogs | Cooper Hynes | 13 |
Final voting
[edit]The winner was decided by an 11-person panel consisting of Andrew Dillon (chair), Eddie Betts, Simon Black, Jude Bolton, Abbey Holmes, Glen Jakovich, Laura Kane, David Mundy, Joel Selwood, Kevin Sheehan and Greg Swann. Each member awarded five votes to the player they determined most deserving, four votes to the second-most deserving, and so on to one vote to the fifth-most deserving.[28]
Vote receivers
[edit]Full votes
[edit]See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Rising Star History". afl.com.au. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ↑ "Jagga Smith named the 2026 Telstra AFL Rising Star". afl.com.au. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- ↑ Whiting, Michael. "Sun shines bright to win first Rising Star nod of the season". afl.com.au. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ↑ "Star me up: Jagga named Round 1 Telstra AFL Rising Star nominee". carltonfc.com.au. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ↑ "Young forward locks in Rising Star nom after Eagles' breakthrough win". afl.com.au. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
- ↑ Schmook, Nathan. "Eagles' No.1 pick delivers on promise to earn Rising Star nom". afl.com.au. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
- ↑ "Roos rookie gets Rising Star nod following Good Friday heroics". afl.com.au. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
- ↑ "Classy Bomber earns Rising Star nod after another strong performance". afl.com.au. 13 April 2026.
- ↑ "The Phoenix is Officially Rising". gwsgiants.com.au. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
- ↑ "Grlj earns Rising Star nod in tough Tigers season". afl.com.au. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
- ↑ "Power tall locks in Rising Star nom after Showdown performance". afl.com.au. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
- ↑ "'Had to bite down and push through': Rising Star's hidden pain behind rapid rise". afl.com.au. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
- ↑ "Skilful defender becomes third Eagle to earn Rising Star nom". afl.com.au. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ "Patrick Retschko was 'uncontrollably bawling' believing his dream was over, then Richmond called". afl.com.au. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ "Good news Blues roll on as young defender gets Rising Star nomination". afl.com.au. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ↑ Alexander, Riley. "Second-year Dog earns Rising Star nod after career-best outing". afl.com.au. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ↑ Black, Sarah (15 June 2026). "Rising Star nod the latest reward for breakout Tiger". afl.com.au. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ↑ Whiting, Michael (22 June 2026). "Unflappable young Sun a Rising Star after three games". AFL Media. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
- ↑ "Star Lion earns Rising Star nod after another strong performance". AFL Media. 29 June 2026.
- ↑ "Attacking Sun earns Rising Star nomination after career-best outing". AFL Media. 6 July 2026.
- ↑ Patterson, Emily (13 July 2026). "Two from two: Giants' perfect start topped off win Rising Star nom". AFL Media.
- ↑ "Tough midfielder becomes Bombers' third Rising Star nominee of 2026". AFL Media. 20 July 2026.
- ↑ "Byrne baby, Byrne: Three-goal Blue earns Rising Star nod". afl.com.au. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "Big Cat rewarded for consistent season with Rising Star nod". afl.com.au. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- ↑ "Young Swan gets Rising Star nom as he pushes case for finals". AFL Media. 10 August 2026. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
- ↑ "Young Pie lands Rising Star nomination after heroics in Hawks draw". AFL Media. 17 August 2026.
- ↑ "Smooth-moving Blue lands final Rising Star nom of the season". AFL Media. 24 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 Cohen, Brandon. "FULL VOTES: Blues young gun wins Rising Star, falls just short of perfect season". afl.com.au. Retrieved 25 August 2026.