Rising stars excite early in AFL careers * Jon Ralph
* From: Herald Sun
* March 11, 2010 THE probable Round 1 debuts of November's top four draft picks will make the 2010 AFL Rising Star field the most competitive ever.
Tom Scully, Jack Trengove, Dustin Martin and Anthony Morabito will join eligible 2009 debutants Michael Hurley (Essendon), Nic Naitanui (West Coast) and Jack Ziebell (North Melbourne) in a superb line-up.
Melbourne pair Scully and Trengove are certain to play in Round 1 if they come through the club's last pre-season hitout against the Eagles.
Richmond No. 3 selection Martin will play against Carlton in the season opener after his fantastic pre-season and Fremantle's Morabito played his best game of the NAB Cup campaign last week against St Kilda. The No. 5 pick, Ben Cunnington (North Melbourne), has been slowed by a foot hot spot.
If the first four make their debuts in Round 1 they will match the top four draftees of 1997 - Travis Johnstone, Brad Ottens, Trent Croad and Mark Bolton.
Sportingbet's Bill Richmond said yesterday that interest in the Rising Star contest was extraordinary.
"It looks a very exciting crop of players," he said. "Normally betting doesn't heat up until Round 2 or 3, but there has been unprecedented interest.
"As soon as someone shows something, people jump on board. When Naitanui played that amazing game (against Essendon) in the NAB Cup we had a wave of bets for him."
Favourite Naitanui has shortened from $7 into $4 after a sensational pre-season, but the value still looks to be Hurley, who firmed from $17 into $13 despite a club suspension for the first three rounds.
Naitanui, Hurley and Ziebell are eligible after playing only 10 games each last year, with 11 first-year games making a player ineligible for the award.
While last year's top 10 draftees could be the best on record, Jack Watts (Melbourne), Naitanui, Hamish Hartlett (Port Adelaide), Hurley and Chris Yarran (Carlton) all took time to make their senior debuts.
Gary Rohan (Sydney, pick six), Lewis Jetta (Sydney, 14),
David Astbury (Richmond, 35), Jordan Gysberts (Melbourne, 11) and Jake Melksham (Essendon, 10) also are likely to make their debuts early in the season.
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