Former Dandenong Stingray Sam De Koning is the round 11 Rising Star nominee.
De Koning – taken by Geelong at Pick 19 of the 2019 Nation Draft – has played 10 of the 11 possible games for the Cats this season and was awarded the Rising Star nomination for his performance against Adelaide at GMHBA Stadium last Saturday.
The 204cm defender collected 19 disposals and clunked nine marks in the Cats 15.7 (97) to 7.13 (55) win over the Crows.
In the lead up to the 2019 National Draft, De Koning had a well-documented growth spurt. In 2018, the now 21-year-old was playing on a wing for the Stingrays, before returning back to pre-season in 2019 a whopping six inches taller.
He reportedly joined the club in 2019 weighing in at a lean 86kg but has since cracked the ton in the process of becoming an immovable cog in the Cats back six.
The young star went head-to-head with fellow 2019 draftee Max King in round nine, and while the Saints collected the four points, the contest earned the praise of Cats coach Chris Scott, who compared the pair to old rivals Wayne Carey and Glen Jakovich.
