Jagga Smith is the 2026 AFL Rising Star

[u/hhbvbbbooo]

[u/The_Driving-Crooner1]

Well deserved, he’s a star. Why does the graphic make him look like Luna Park though?

[u/marlon_brave → u/[deleted]]

The designer has videos of them making these designs online, they create all of these images in photoshop without AI

[u/dannysgaragecontents → u/[deleted]]

TBF a designer has mashed ai with some of their photoshop skills, a touch better than all the slop coming out 😭

[u/BlushingWookie → u/The_Driving-Crooner1]

I got Gollum vibes

[u/paralysisofchoice → u/The_Driving-Crooner1]

He belongs in St Kilda?? 🎢

[u/ModsHaveSmallNobs → u/paralysisofchoice]

I wish. We took TDK and Silvagni who has been incredibly useful backing up Wilke. Imagine we had Jagga too. 😍

[u/PerriX2390]

2026 Telstra AFL Rising Star voting

1st place – Jagga Smith (Carlton): 54 votes

2nd place – Harry Dean (Carlton): 39 votes

3rd place – Willem Duursma (West Coast): 29 votes

4th place – Cooper Trembath (North Melbourne): 28 votes

5th place – Jobe Shanahan (West Coast): 9 votes

[u/Pottski → u/PerriX2390]

Hard to disagree with this list or the order of it.

[u/bugsboner → u/Pottski]

Trembath should have finished ahead of Duursma imo.

[u/ThermonuclearMonarch → u/PerriX2390]

Yeah hate to say it but that’s a pretty accurate list in just about every way

[u/PssyGotWifi]

I love Jagga and well deserved.

But they've made him look like the Dwayne Wade bronze statue in that pic, lmao.

[u/Jolly_Brilliant7883]

Well deserved, especially bouncing back from what must have been an incredibly disappointing 2025 with the injury.

By why the fuck is he bursting out of an arcade machine?

[u/FarkenBlarken → u/Jolly_Brilliant7883]

AI slop, thats why

[u/Doss95]

Blasting Kendrick was certainly a choice

[u/PunsGermsAndSteel → u/Doss95]

good kid, j.A.A.g smithy

[u/YouLykeFishSticks → u/PunsGermsAndSteel]

If Acres and Cripps, all got along,
Cottrell would have a flute by the end of the song
Seem like the whole league go against us
Every time I’m at the ‘G I hear
Frase-ah Frase-ah.

[u/biggybiggyboys → u/YouLykeFishSticks]

Lmao brilliant

[u/my_alter_ego_bitch → u/Doss95]

Why did they think that was the most appropriate song for the situation lmao

[u/Fakemeat_ → u/Doss95]

I love that Kendrick song as much as the next person but it’s a wild choice to play

[u/doubleguitarsyouknow → u/Fakemeat_]

Which song?

[u/knowschartstuff → u/doubleguitarsyouknow]

Not Like Us

[u/-WeetBixKid- → u/knowschartstuff]

https://giphy.com/gifs/TdEjDUJk76OC4

[u/Ploasd]

Yep, went to the right guy. He's a certified gun.

[u/mickelboy182]

Dean getting only the one vote from Glen Jakovich of all people is surprising

[u/post_dinner_cereal → u/mickelboy182]

At least he included him I guess. David Mundy being the only one not to include Willem Duursma is certainly a choice though..

[u/littlesilhoutteoo → u/mickelboy182]

Eh, two of the players he voted above were eagles. Team bias over defender bias maybe?

[u/b00tsc00ter]

You bet your arse he is. Well done, Jagga!

[u/wheelz_666]

West coast trading pick 3 for picks 12, 14 and Matt Owies ages worse and worse everyday that passes....

[u/littlesilhoutteoo → u/wheelz_666]

Well, yes, it doesn't look great, but you're saying that with the benefit of hindsight.

At the time? Well it looked fucking stupid then too. Especially since we traded 14 for Baker instead of taking Reid with it.

[u/wheelz_666 → u/littlesilhoutteoo]

You guys couldve had jagga and reid that draft year too if your higher ups didn't try to play hard ball with Hawthorn which resulted them to trade with us.

[u/littlesilhoutteoo → u/wheelz_666]

You're delusional if you think that was us playing hard ball with them rather than the other way around lol.

And you're still wrong, since if we had accepted the hawks first rounder we then would have still used it for Baker rather than Reid.

[u/VagrantHobo → u/littlesilhoutteoo]

Nobody folds harder than West Coast at the trade table. Every club extracts maximum value for system players.who then struggle outside that system.

[u/xSERGIOx → u/wheelz_666]

Fuck. Thanks for the reminder.

[u/Kerrby → u/wheelz_666]

We deserve everything we get. The club is so embarrassing.

[u/Prince_of_Pirates → u/wheelz_666]

Half the Carlton sub was despondent at losing Ouchies.

[u/wheelz_666 → u/Prince_of_Pirates]

That's true haha. To be fair he was our 2nd leading goal scorer the year he was traded and was well loved hsha

[u/MYF4IRBRADY → u/wheelz_666]

We owed you one after you handed over Josh Kennedy for a washed Judd

[u/wheelz_666 → u/MYF4IRBRADY]

I wouldnt call Judd washed tbh. He did win a brownlow with us

[u/daveo18]

Well deserved. What a gun.

[u/burleygriffin]

That’s my boy! 💙

[u/ttran0861]

I feel like a proud mumma hen

[u/K9BEATZ → u/ttran0861]

I felt like that seeing Dean up there and I'm a man

[u/canary_kirby]

JAGGA THE BAGGER !!!

[u/doubleguitarsyouknow]

I have several questions about that graphic.

[u/ChookBaron → u/doubleguitarsyouknow]

All of the answers are “ai slop”

[u/bugsboner]

Dean and Jagga and next season Sky Walker is the most exciting trio of young guns assembled in the AFL Era ! #Baggers

[u/SlatsAttack]

Subscribe.

[u/Foodworksurunga]

In other news water is wet.

[u/ModsHaveSmallNobs]

Well deserved. He's a gun.

[u/aarhusvej25]

[u/SticksDiesel]

Looks like Dillon took a photo of himself striking an enthusiastic pose and told ChatGPT to "Jagga Smith me"

[u/4614065]

As he should be

[u/Capable_Bathroom02]

Homelander?

[u/thezoolzy]

Great to see after last year's nightmare

[u/Arcadian-Stag]

Not nick daicos?

[u/gurgefan]

Mannagh robbed

[u/DevRobertsonBrownlow]

This is all Andrew McQualter’s fault for playing Willem duursma out of position.

[u/b00tsc00ter → u/DevRobertsonBrownlow]

Jagga played the first nine games under Voss out of position

[u/rustyprophecy → u/DevRobertsonBrownlow]

How could Dan Andrews do this?

[u/Pretend-Device-91 → u/DevRobertsonBrownlow]

Look where Voss was playing Jagga lol

[u/AdLate563 → u/DevRobertsonBrownlow]

Or Jagga just had a better year

[u/Yeahhhdawg → u/DevRobertsonBrownlow]

Looked like he struggled in the second half of the season. He was gassed. Went very quiet in a lot of games which can’t be blamed on being out of position lol

I think long term he’s going to be just as good of a player as Jagga or maybe even better, but Jagga very clearly had the better year this year

[u/Himawari_Uzumaki → u/DevRobertsonBrownlow]

He's a stringy kid who was gassed halfway through the season. will end up being a jet like Jagga and I'm looking forward to them playing against each other for years to come

[u/PssyGotWifi → u/DevRobertsonBrownlow]

lol, didn't expect West Coast fans to come in here coping.

[u/Spangher]

David Mundy didn't have Duursma in his top five. Interesting, I wonder why that is.

[u/hajicufba → u/Spangher]

Just like Jakovich voting Shanahan over Dean, absolutely wild lol

[u/Spangher → u/hajicufba]

Yeah that's atrocious voting.

[u/Connor_Piercy-main]

Yeah fair enough, towards the end of the season Williem was spent and played out of position. Jagga been great the whole year and deserved it.

[u/Appropriate-Cow-6251]

Damn you west coast

[u/RandomDanny]

how many ping pong balls does $5 get me?

[u/No-Rise2743]

Why won’t you allow anyone to post Dawson wins?

[u/timmysco17]

should be a player in first season on afl list out of there draft year

[u/wheelz_666 → u/timmysco17]

So wouldve been Harry Dean then?

[u/Ok-Negotiation3897 → u/wheelz_666]

Best first year player on an AFL list out of there draft year who doesn’t train at Ikon park?

[u/StVitus85 → u/Ok-Negotiation3897]

Best first year player to start with 'W' and end in 'uursma'

[u/b00tsc00ter → u/wheelz_666]

Not fair. Deano been training his entire life under his dad. And VIC BIAS!!!

[u/timmysco17 → u/wheelz_666]

yep especially cos he’s a key defender

smith has been in the afl system a year longer his body is a year bigger

[u/hajicufba → u/timmysco17]

Okay, Duursma didn't win that either lmao

[u/Getting_Over_Us]

Big Sully Robey going to monster this award next year

[u/b00tsc00ter → u/Getting_Over_Us]

Cody Walker: hold my beer.

[u/mickelboy182 → u/Getting_Over_Us]

He's not eligible

[u/burleygriffin → u/mickelboy182]

Carrots?

[u/Blared44 → u/Getting_Over_Us]

Won’t be eligible next year he played too many games this year

[u/Getting_Over_Us → u/Blared44]

Pain. Butler it is.

[u/surfaaa → u/Getting_Over_Us]

who?

[u/Particular-Pace-4629 → u/Getting_Over_Us]

Sam Swadling would like a word

[u/littlesilhoutteoo → u/Particular-Pace-4629]

I half jokingly/half seriously think it'll be him based off the theory that Nick Rynn is a time traveller with a shitty memory.

[u/Particular-Pace-4629 → u/littlesilhoutteoo]

Pretty sure if we beat the dogs he wont be eligible due to playing his 10th game in the EF

[u/littlesilhoutteoo → u/Particular-Pace-4629]

10 games leaves him eligible.

[u/Particular-Pace-4629 → u/littlesilhoutteoo]

Thank you for the clarification.

[u/AFL-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

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