Western Bulldogs young gun Sam Darcy is the AFL Rising Star nominee for round four.
The third-generation Bulldog was a standout on Saturday night, contributing three goals from 12 disposals, three marks and four tackles in the four-point loss to Geelong at Adelaide Oval.
Remarkably it was only his 10th game at senior level - following a round 21, 2022 debut and an injury-riddled 2023 that saw him manage just three matches.
Darcy was drafted with pick 2 in 2021, with the Bulldogs electing to match GWS’ bid on the father-son prospect.
A product of the Oakleigh Chargers and Scotch College, Darcy played his junior football with Glen Iris and Hawthorn Citizens.
Darcy becomes the second Bulldog in successive weeks to be named a Rising Star, following Harvey Gallagher’s performance against West Coast in round three.
He is also the first Rising Star nominee whose father was also a Rising Star nominee (Luke Darcy, round three, 1996).
To be eligible for the AFL Rising Star Award, each year's nominated players must be under the age of 21 at 1 January, and have played no more than 10 AFL games to the start of that season.
One nominee is chosen each week during the home-and-away season, with a panel of experts to vote for the overall winner at the end of the season.
