Rd 16 NEAFL Rising Star Nominee: Kel Evans

Canberra rookie Kel Evans has been awarded the Round 16 NEAFL Rising Star nomination following his breakout performance in the Demons’ big win over NT Thunder on Saturday.

Evans was one of Canberra’s best in the 145-point triumph, starring with 30 disposals, 12 marks, and four goals, which equalled 146 Champion Data ranking points.

The 20-year-old is the latest in a long list of Rising Star nominees from Canberra in recent times, making it five nominees this season and 10th in the past two years.

Evans was a teenage landscaper from Tathra when he started coming to Queanbeyan to play cricket, but he soon became regarded as one of the best young footballers in Canberra.

The Queanbeyan Tigers midfielder won the Mulrooney Medal as AFL Canberra's best-and-fairest player in 2018 and was promptly snapped up by the Demons.

He was quick to impress upon joining his new club, winning the club’s 2km time trial during pre-season training as his meteoric rise up the ranks continued.

Evans has played 12 matches in his debut season with Canberra where he has averaged 20 disposals, four marks, 3.7 inside 50s and a goal per game.

He joins teammates Angus Baker, Connor Owen-Auburn, Rhys Pollock and Jarrod Osborne as nominees for the award in 2019.

The NEAFL Rising Star is awarded to the most promising young talent in the NEAFL competition.

Nominees must be under the age of 21 and played less than 20 senior games (excluding games as AFL club academy players) at the start of the 2019 season.

2019 NEAFL Rising Star Nominees

Round 1: Angus Baker (Canberra)
Round 2: Bailey Stewart (Sydney University)
Round 3: Keidean Coleman (Brisbane)
Round 4: Connor Owen-Auburn (Canberra)
Round 5: Fitzroy Greenwool (Gold Coast)
Round 6: Hewago Paul Oea (Gold Coast)
Round 7: James Peatling (GIANTS)
Round 8: Rhys Pollock (Canberra)
Round 9: Tom Green (GIANTS)
Round 10: Josh Stern (Sydney University)
Round 11: Harry Grant (GIANTS)
Round 12: Kieren Parnell (NT Thunder)
Round 13: Jamison Shea (Southport)
Round 14: Jarrod Osborne (Canberra)
Round 15: Harry Morrison (Sydney University)
Round 16: Kel Evans (Canberra)

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