Former Bendigo Pioneers forward Brent Daniels was nominated for the NAB AFL Rising Star award following his performance inside 50 during the GWS Giants’ Round 23 win.

The 170cm 20-year-old recorded 19 disposals at 74 per cent efficiency, six marks, five inside-50s and three tackles in the Giants’ 72-point victory over Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium on Saturday night.

 

Daniels was selected by GWS with pick no.27 at the 2017 NAB AFL Draft after playing 15 games for the Pioneers from 2015-17. He kicked 13 goals from seven matches in his top-age 2017 season and also represented Vic Country at the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, displaying the competitiveness and defensive pressure currently expected of smaller forwards at the elite level.

The Nyah Nyah West United (Central Murray FNL) product made his AFL debut in Round 16 last year, playing seven games at the back-end of the season before appearing in all 22 home-and-away matches in 2019. He is averaging 15 disposals, three marks and three tackles per game for the finals-bound Giants this year.

 

Daniels is the 13th and final former Victorian Under-18 Boys player to be nominated for the AFL Rising Star award in 2019, with the presentation of the honour to take place this Friday August 30.

This year’s other Victorian nominees are: Geelong’s Charlie Constable (ex-Sandringham Dragons), Carlton’s Sam Walsh (Geelong Falcons), West Coast’s Jack Petruccelle (Northern Knights), Port Adelaide’s Xavier Duursma (Gippsland Power), Geelong’s Gryan Miers (Geelong Falcons), Western Bulldogs’ Bailey Smith (Sandringham Dragons), Essendon’s Dylan Clarke (Eastern Ranges), North Melbourne’s Nick Larkey (Oakleigh Chargers), Hawthorn’s Mitchell Lewis (Calder Cannons), Gold Coast’s Ben King (Sandringham Dragons), Brisbane’s Noah Answerth (Oakleigh Chargers) and St Kilda’s Josh Battle (Dandenong Stingrays).