Jason Castagna is the round 19 NAB AFL Rising Star nominee after kicking 3 goals from 16 disposals against Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium.
Castagna has started each of his three AFL seasons on the rookie list and been elevated every time, but five matches across his first two seasons – in a variety of roles from defence to the wing and up forward – left him vulnerable going into 2017.
Instead, the Northern Knights and Warrandyte Bloods product forced his way into senior calculations for round one as a defensive forward and hasn't missed a match.
"It's probably recognising what my strengths were and playing to them a bit more. You can always look at your weaknesses and work at them," he said.
"Being on the rookie list at the start of each year gave me a bit of motivation to want to play well and get the call-up. But I've really loved playing footy at Richmond and haven't seen it as a tough journey."