Queensland under 18 state player Jack Rolls has earned the Round 11 NEAFL Rising Star nomination after a strong showing against Southport at Fankhauser Reserve on Saturday.
It is the second Rising Star nod for the Brisbane Lions Academy member, who earned his first nomination as a 16-year-old on debut last year.
It has been a jam-packed 12 months for the talented midfielder, who spent the off-season training with Brisbane’s senior squad before travelling to the United States with the AFL Academy.
Selected to represent the Allies side in the National Under-18 Division 1 Championships this year, Rolls backed up his first match for the Allies last week with 19 possessions off half-back for the Lions on Saturday.
Rolls said he relishes any opportunity to play senior football, as he prepares to travel to Perth this weekend to face Western Australia in their next National Championship game.
“Obviously it’s a lot tougher than under-18 footy, which is good, because you play in the NEAFL and challenge yourself there and then take what you’ve learned back to under-18s,” he said.
“It’s been a stressful year. Last year was probably a bit easier being my under-age year and not my draft year so I could relax a bit more.
“But I’ve been working pretty closely at the academy on my defensive side of my game.
“Coming in each week and trying to improve has been the main thing I’ve wanted to work on in the past 12 months.”
The Rising Star is awarded to the most promising young talent in the NEAFL competition.
Nominees must be under the age of 21 and played less than 20 senior games (excluding games as AFL top-up players) at the start of the 2016 season.
Photo: Jack Rolls in action for Brisbane against Southport. Photo: David Layden.
