Exciting midfielder Bailey Smith has finished fourth in the NAB AFL Rising Star award for 2019.
The award was won by Carlton young gun Sam Walsh, with 54 votes. Port Adelaide’s Connor Rozee (42) and Richmond’s Sydney Stack (28) rounded out the top three.
Smith was fourth with 21 votes, earning votes from eight of the eleven members of the voting panel – who each awarded a 5-4-3-2-1.
The 18-year-old has excelled in his first season in red, white and blue.
After being limited through the pre-season as he overcame an Achilles injury, Smith earned a round one debut against the Sydney Swans and never looked back.
He played all 22 home-and-away games, averaging 17.7 disposals and 4.1 tackles per game.
Smith has featured in the middle alongside All Australian stars Marcus Bontempelli and Jack Macrae, while he has also pushed forward to slot 11 goals.
His NAB AFL Rising Star nominee came in round nine, after impressing against a star-studded Geelong Cats midfield including the likes of Patrick Dangerfield, Tim Kelly, Joel Selwood, Gary Ablett and Mitch Duncan.
THREE BULLDOGS NAMED IN 22UNDER22 TEAM
In that match, he collected a career-high 28 disposals.
He finished with 20 or more disposals in 10 of his home-and-away matches.
