Today on kangaroos.com.au, North Melbourne captain Brent Harvey talks about a team-mate that he believes will be well in the running for the award.
It's an award that causes great debate every year; The NAB Rising Star. It’s a recognition of the league's greatest young talent and highlights the future stars of the competition.
Such is the award's prestige, past recipients include Nathan Buckley, Ben Cousins, Adam Goodes, Nick Riewoldt and Sam Mitchell just to name a few.
This year, many pundits have gone so far as to pronounce Sydney's Daniel Hannebery as a certain winner. Some betting agencies have gone as far as closing their markets for the event.
All the while, an up-and-comer from Arden Street has toiled week in, week out, in the midfield for the Kangaroos.
It's only a matter of time until he is recognised by the entire football world.
It was obvious from the earliest training sessions when he blitzed his team-mates in North’s pre-season time trials that Ryan Bastinac was a force to be reckoned with.
He's played every game in his debut season and he's had 20 possessions or more on 13 occasions, an illustration of consistency far beyond his years.
The comparisons between Bastinac and Hannebery are plain to see; both possess excellent endurance, have an amazing ball winning ability and both already look like future leaders of their respective clubs.
But who deserves to receive one of the league's most sort after awards? The statistics tell perhaps the greatest story.
| Bastinac | Hannebery | |
| 2010 matches: | 21 | 19 |
| Goals: | 7 | 9 |
| Kicks: | 184 | 187 |
| Handballs: | 211 | 211 |
| Marks: | 51 | 90 |
| Tackles: | 54 | 60 |
| Contested possessions: | 121 | 145 |
| Uncontested possessions: | 273 | 255 |
| Goal assists: | 8 | 7 |
It's hard to split the pair. Hannebery is slightly in front in several of the key indicators, but when you take into account the inexperience of North Melbourne's midfield, the argument for Bastinac is even more compelling.
The young Swan is clearly the favourite in most football pundit's eyes, but no matter the outcome, Kangaroos' fans know they've got a star in the making.
Tell us your thoughts on who should win the Rising Star award below.
