BRISBANE Lions midfielder Bradd Dalziell has been rewarded for a stunning month and a half of performances with the round 21 NAB AFL Rising Star nomination.Dalziell, 21, has made an instant impression on the football world in the past six weeks, averaging nearly 27 disposals a game since making his debut in round 16 against West Coast."I've enjoyed just getting a taste of AFL this year. It's been really good and a lot of blokes have really helped me along the way," Dalziell told afl.com.au."It's good to be recognised, but I just wanted to go out there and win some games for the team and play finals."But we couldn't make the finals and it's disappointing. There was a real sombre mood in the changerooms after the game on Saturday night, because it was a season where we could have had a really good year and we just missed out."The young Western Australian picked up 32 touches in a highly-exciting debut that saw him eclipse Fremantle's Paul Hasleby's first-game return of 30 possessions in round one 2000.Dalziell backed up to amass 18 disposals and five tackles the following round, and has since become one of the Lions' most reliable ball-getters."It's surprised me how I've fitted in. I thought maybe I could play on a half-forward flank and just get a couple of quarters a game, so it really has surprised me," he said."All my teammates have been telling me to use my voice and they've been able to get the ball to me, so that's helped."In 2007 Dalziell was struggling to perform in the WAFL after battling a broken arm in the first half of the season. At 20 years of age, he thought he had missed the AFL boat and considered himself too old to be drafted.But he overcame his injury and got back into the East Fremantle reserves side, where he was scouted by the Lions' WA-based recruiting assistant Graeme Hadley (father of former Lion and current Blue Richard).  "From where I was last year, it's really surprised me to be where I am now," Dalziell said."I had a broken arm throughout the first half of last season and I struggled through the second half before I finally got some games before the end of the year."I was lucky enough to catch someone's eye."Despite the fact the young cricket convert has seemingly breezed into the Lions' senior side virtually unaided, he says he couldn't have done it without the help of his more experienced teammates."It hasn't been easy, but it does make it a bit easier when you've got guys like Simon Black and Luke Power in your side, instructing you where to go on the field," he said."Even Nigel Lappin, even though I haven't played with him, he's full of ideas and tells me all this stuff at training to make me a better player."Dalziell joins Bachar Houli (Essendon), Josh Hill (Western Bulldogs), Rhys Palmer (Fremantle), Kieren Jack (Sydney), Ben McKinley (West Coast), Cyril Rioli (Hawthorn), Austin Wonaeamirri (Melbourne), Kurt Tippett (Adelaide), Garrick Ibbotson (Fremantle), Nathan Brown (Collingwood), Matthew Kreuzer (Carlton), Trent Cotchin (Richmond), Jarryd Morton (Hawthorn), Colin Garland (Melbourne), Jack Riewoldt (Richmond), Kyle Reimers (Essendon), Brett Ebert (West Coast), Gavin Urquhart (North Melbourne), Shaun Grigg (Carlton) and Cale Morton (Melbourne) as contenders for this year's prize.