GEELONG forward Ollie Dempsey has been rewarded for his standout display against St Kilda with the AFL Rising Star nomination for round one.

Playing his eighth AFL game, Dempsey had 15 disposals and kicked three goals in the Cats' eight-point win at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday night.

He is Geelong's first Rising Star nominee since Sam De Koning in round 11, 2022.

"We know what he's capable of ... I hesitate to say this – I want to say he's a complete player," Cats coach Chris Scott said.

"He doesn't have too many parts of his game where you look at him and think you've really got to get that up to AFL standard."

Dempsey, 21, was picked up by the Cats in the Rookie Draft at the end of 2021 and played five games last year.

But he is set for a bigger role at Geelong in 2024.

"He's one of those guys that looks to me like he wants the moment," Scott said.

"It's easy to try to coach players and help them to be that kind of guy, but most of the time it's innate.

"He missed a couple of shots that he'll ruminate on, but he shouldn't because as time goes on he's going to be one of those guys that finishes his work really nicely."

- with AAP

2024 Rising Star nominees

Opening Round: Matt Roberts (Sydney)
Round one: Ollie Dempsey (Geelong)