ESSENDON young gun Nate Caddy has earned a Telstra AFL Rising Star nomination for round 22 after an impressive start to his career.
Caddy, 19, had 15 disposals, took six marks and kicked three goals in the Bombers' one-point loss to Gold Coast at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.
The forward has kicked nine goals in eight games since making his AFL debut in round 11.
Taken with pick No.10 in last year's draft, Caddy has made his mark up forward for the Bombers despite their recent struggles.
Caddy set career-highs for disposals and goals in the loss to the Suns, while his six marks equalled his previous best.
He is Essendon's first Rising Star nominee since 2022, when the club had three – Nic Martin, Ben Hobbs and now-Hawthorn wingman Massimo D'Ambrosio.
The Bombers slipped to an 11-1-9 record after their after-the-siren loss to Gold Coast.
They host Sydney at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.
2024 Telstra AFL Rising Star nominees
OR: Matt Roberts (Sydney)
R1: Ollie Dempsey (Geelong)
R2: George Wardlaw (North Melbourne)
R3: Harvey Gallagher (Western Bulldogs)
R4: Sam Darcy (Western Bulldogs)
R5: Harley Reid (West Coast)
R6: Darcy Wilson (St Kilda)
R7: Jake Rogers (Gold Coast)
R8: Caleb Windsor (Melbourne)
R9: Colby McKercher (North Melbourne)
R10: Kai Lohmann (Brisbane)
R11: Harvey Harrison (Collingwood)
R12: Bodhi Uwland (Gold Coast)
R13: Luke Nankervis (Adelaide)
R14: Harvey Thomas (Greater Western Sydney)
R15: Logan Morris (Brisbane)
R16: Will Graham (Gold Coast)
R17: Darcy Jones (Greater Western Sydney)
R18: Lawson Humphries (Geelong)
R19: Nick Watson (Hawthorn)
R20: Josh Draper (Fremantle)
R21: Jackson Archer (North Melbourne)
R22: Nate Caddy (Essendon)
