Swan Callum Mills wins the 2016 NAB AFL Rising Star Award
Published Tue 06 Sep 2016
Sport NSW 2015 Young Athlete of the Year Callum Mills has added the 2016 NAB Rising Star Award to his collection as announced this afternoon.
"The AFL’s Rising Star is awarded to a player that must be under 21 and have played less than 10 senior games at the start of the season," said Darren Denneman, State Manager, Talent & Coaching, AFL NSW/ACT.
"It is an outstanding achievement from a player born and bred in Sydney to be able to step straight into top level AFL football and have the impact Callum has had. It really illustrates how far Sydney and New South Wales has come as a breeding ground of AFL footballers."
Last year Callum became the highest AFL Draft pick to ever come from Sydney, when he was drafted at number three by the Sydney Swans.
Mills has slotted seamlessly in to the Swans defence, and his hardness and reliability have impressed football observers.
Recruited from North Shore, he is the third Sydney Swan to win the award after Dan Hannebery (2010) and Adam Goodes (1999).
See how the announcement unfolded on the live blog