ST KILDA has won its first NAB AFL Rising Star nomination
for 2007, with Sam Gilbert claiming the honours for round 16.
Gilbert, 20, has a rugby background and didn't take up the
game until he was 16. But he capped an impressive year with 22 possessions in
the Saints' win over the Hawks at Telstra Dome on Saturday night.
Originally from Queensland,
Gilbert was recruited from Southport and was
St Kilda’s No.1 draft pick in 2005. He has played 12 games for an average of
13.2 possessions a match.
"I was really surprised,” he
told afl.com.au of the nomination. “There
are a lot of good players who've got nominated, so I was just pumped to be one
of them.”
Gilbert has stood up in defence
for the Saints this year, in the on-and-off absence of key defenders Max
Hudghton, Matt Maguire and Sam Fisher.
An athletic tall with impressive
running capacity, he can also play as a wingman.
He hopes the NAB AFL Rising Star accolade will boost his
confidence as a player, as he has finally broken into the side on a consistent
basis after being named as an emergency 12 times last year.
"Each week you get a little
bit more confident, so this should help me too," he said.
"To win at the weekend and
then to get this … it's the icing on the cake."
The Saints have a good record with the NAB AFL Rising Star
award, with Justin Koschitzke claiming the prize in 2001 and Nick Riewoldt winning
in 2002, but they haven't had a nominee since Raphael Clarke in round 22, 2005.
Gilbert joins the following players to be nominated for the
award so far this season: Paddy Ryder (Essendon), Cameron Wood (Brisbane
Lions), Tom Hawkins (Geelong), Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood), Joel Selwood
(Geelong), Ricky Petterd (Melbourne), Jess Smith (Kangaroos), Shaun Higgins
(Western Bulldogs), Mitch Clark (Brisbane Lions), Bryce Gibbs (Carlton),
Shannon Hurn (West Coast), Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide), Marty Clarke
(Collingwood), Scott McMahon (Kangaroos) and Justin Westhoff (Port Adelaide).