Richmond young gun Tom Brown surely has to receive an AFL Rising Star nomination very soon.
Brown strongly staked his claims for the Round 13 nomination with an excellent exhibition against Adelaide at Adelaide Oval last night.
The 20-year-old defender, playing just his 12th AFL game (11 this season), was a key factor in the Tigers’ impressive eight-point win. He had 16 disposals at 87 per cent efficiency, 10 contested possessions, four marks, a game-high 11 intercepts and 173 metres gained.
So far this season, Brown is averaging 13.6 disposals, 5.1 contested possessions, 3.7 marks, 2.8 rebound-50s, 5.9 intercepts and 284.8 metres gained per match.
He is ranked first among the competition’s rising star contenders in intercepts, first in reound-50s, fifth in metres gained, fifth in one-percenters, seventh in contested possessions, eighth in effective disposals, ninth in marks and 10th in total disposals.
Respected AFL football analyst and two-time North Melbourne premiership star David King is a big fan of the player Richmond recruited with its second selection, No. 17 overall, in the 2021 AFL national draft and predicts he will develop into something special.
“They’ve got a ripper in Tom Brown,” King said on SEN.
“He's going to be a beauty . . . He had 11 intercepts for the night.
“He's got class, he's got poise, he actually makes the right decision every time.
“I know he's a beautiful kick and everyone talks about his actual kicking efficiency and his style.
“But he can kick the ball 50 metres off one or two steps – he’s one of those guys – and he sees things that others don't.
“I think he's going to be an absolute star. What a steal he is at the selection they got him.”
