18-year-old Western Bulldogs defender Lewis Young has been nominated for the AFL Players’ Association’s Best First Year Player award ahead of next Tuesday’s AFLPA MVP Awards on Tuesday, September 12.
Each player from the 18 AFL teams casts a vote for the player they deem to be the League’s best young player in 2017, with all Club’s receiving a nomination.
The Sturt product arrived at the kennel after being taken with the Bulldogs’ third pick in the 2016 NAB AFL Draft and debuted in Round 17 against Carlton, collecting 21 disposals and nine marks in his sides’ 20-point win.
Young played seven games in his debut season at the Club, averaging 13 disposals, five marks and two tackles per contest.
Port Adelaide’s Nick Steven’s was the inaugural winner of the Best First Year Player award in 1998.
2017’S NOMINEES FOR THE BEST FIRST YEAR PLAYER AWARD:
Adelaide: Jordan Gallucci
Brisbane: Alex Witherden
Carlton: Sam Petrevski-Seton
Collingwood: Callum Brown
Essendon: Andrew McGrath
Fremantle: Luke Ryan
Geelong: Tom Stewart
Gold Coast: Ben Ainsworth
GWS Giants: Tim Taranto
Hawthorn: James Cousins
Melbourne: Mitch Hannan
North Melbourne: Jy Simpkin
Port Adelaide: Sam Powell-Pepper
Richmond: Shai Bolton
St Kilda: Rowan Marshall
Sydney: Will Hayward
West Coast: Francis Watson
Western Bulldogs: Lewis Young
