Pint-size Brisbane rookie Lewis Taylor has claimed the 2014 AFL Rising Star award by a single vote ahead of Western Bulldog Marcus Bontempelli.
The 173cm midfielder/small forward didn’t let his diminutive height by AFL standards impact his debut season, overcoming a serious pre-season foot injury to play all 22 games for the Lions after the 19-year-old was selected with the 28th pick in last year’s National Draft.
Lewis polled 39 votes, one more than Bontempelli (16 games) and ahead of the 32 amassed by North Melbourne defender Luke McDonald.
Averaging a shade under 17 possessions and four marks per game in a consistent first season, Lewis received the maximum five votes just five times from the 10-man former player panel and received no votes from former Geelong premiership player Cameron Ling.
But Tuesday’s Rising Star function reach a thrilling conclusion with both Lewis and Bontempelli tied on 34 votes. Former St Kilda captain Danny Frawley’s tally was read last, who awarded Taylor his five votes, and the subsequent one-vote victory, ahead of the Bontempelli’s four.
“I’’m very thankful. I’ve really enjoyed my year … loved it,’’ he said.
“Leppa (coach Justin Leppitsch) and the coaching staff have been fantastic and really supportive.
“The boys have really made me feel welcome.”
Brisbane football manager Dean Warren applauded Taylor’s ability to fight back from an injury which kept him in a moon boot until after Christmas.
“His resilience has been remarkable. Not only did he get himself up, he played a couple of NEAFL games leading into round one,” Warren said.
“His form, you could see he was just a busy little player.
“Not only was it his resilience to get to the line for round one, but his resilience over the course of the season has been remarkable, not only physically but mentally.
“When you expect a lot of first year players to start flagging mentally … he certainty didn’t so that’s a real credit.”
Other rookies to have enjoyed promising first seasons included fellow Brisbane teammate James Aish, St Kilda’s Luke Dunstan, Gold Coast’s Kade Kolodjashnij, and Collingwood defender Tom Langdon.
Photo: Scott Barbour/Getty Images
