Ben Ainsworth is the round 22 NAB AFL Rising Star nominee.
Ainsworth's nomination comes after a couple of challenging seasons at lower levels punctuated by injury and suspension.
"My bottom-age year in 2015 was all bright, then the following year not so much, with getting injured and a few other incidents as well," Ainsworth said.
"It probably wasn't the most pleasing year last year, and I learned a lot about myself in terms of how I deal with adversity, so it was good and a blessing in disguise in some ways.
"But I think I've come out the better end of that and learned from, I wouldn't call them mistakes, but just the challenges I've faced over the last couple of years."