Hawthorn youngster Jai Newcombe has taken home the AFL’s Round 5 Rising Star nomination following a stellar performance in his side’s win against Geelong.
Newcombe produced a career-best game in the Easter Monday blockbuster, finishing with a whopping 32 disposals and a team-high 653 metres gained.
The 20-year-old was damaging from the get-go, with his first possession setting the tone for the day when he won a hotly contested ball with three-time All Australian Tom Stewart.
He then helped set up Hawthorn’s first goal of the match before picking up 13 disposals by half time.
It marks the first Rising Star nomination that a Hawthorn player has received since Jacob Koschitzke’s nomination in Round 6 last year.
The recognition caps off an impressive fortnight for Newcombe, having claimed the club’s fan-voted MVP in both Round’s 4 and 5.
The exciting midfielder has become a driving force for the brown and gold in 2022, impressing fans with his output, determination and attacking style of play.
It has been a whirlwind journey for the lifelong Hawks fan who joined Hawthorn less than 12 months ago following last year's mid-season rookie draft.
It is hard to believe that this time last year, Newcombe had played just one game in the VFL.
Growing up in the small rural town of Poowong in Southern Gippsland, Newcombe learned his craft playing for the Poowong Magpies in the Ellinbank and District Football League.
Having built an impressive campaign with Box Hill across the first half of the 2021 VFL season, the Hawks went on to select the young gun with Pick No.2 in last year's mid-season rookie draft.
The following week, Newcombe made his AFL debut against Sydney, setting an AFL record for the most tackles in a debut match with 14 to his name.
He went on to play six more games for the Hawks last year.
Newcombe has only continued to shine since, having featured in his side’s starting line-up for every game this season as he looks set to become a permanent fixture under Coach Sam Mitchell.
Having averaged 20.8 disposals and 3.8 tackles across the first five rounds, Newcombe is providing plenty of optimism for the Hawks faithful.
With only 12 career games to his name, the future is looking very bright for the promising youngster.
Watch the highlights from Newcombe’s Rising Star performance below.
