North Melbourne young gun Harry Sheezel has claimed the 2024 AFL Coaches Association Best Young Player Award.
Sheezel, 19, polled 65 votes, ahead of Brisbane’s Will Ashcroft (38 votes).
Taken with pick No.3 in the 2022 AFL Draft, Sheezel has already shown his immense ability to change the course of a game just two seasons into his promising career.
The 2023 Telstra AFL Rising Star winner and club best and fairest is also versatile, having burst onto the scene as a forward as a junior before spending the bulk of his time as a defender in his first season. He played in multiple positions in his second year and had impact in all three areas of the ground, displaying his exploits as a midfielder later in the 2024 season.
Prior to the 2024 season, Sheezel was voted into the leadership group, a reflection of just how influential he's been in a short period of time.
AFL Coaches Association CEO Alistair Nicholson congratulated Sheezel on his first two seasons in the AFL, which has seen him awarded the 2024 AFL Coaches Association Best Young Player.
“Harry has had an incredibly impressive first two seasons with the Kangaroos, and we congratulate him on being voted by the Coaches as the Best Young Player in 2024,” Nicholson said.
“Harry should be proud of himself, as should the Kangaroos coaching group for the role they play.”
The AFL Coaches Association Best Young Player Award is presented in recognition of the player based on performances in his first two seasons of AFL Football and is determined by the weekly votes of the AFL coaches in the AFLCA Champion Player of the Year Award.
