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FULL VOTES: Blues young gun wins Rising Star, falls just short of perfect season
Jagga Smith has capped off a stellar year by winning the Ron Evans Medal
JAGGA Smith has become just the second Carlton player to win the Telstra AFL Rising Star Award, capping a brilliant 2026 campaign that confirmed his status as one of the competition's brightest young midfielders.
Smith joins teammate Sam Walsh as Blues to win the prestigious award, receiving the Ron Evans Medal at Tuesday night's AFL Awards ceremony.
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Jagga Smith has claimed the 2026 AFL Rising Star, becoming just the second Blue to win the award.
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On Tuesday night Smith, the pick three of the 2024 Draft, joined Sam Walsh (2019) as Carlton’s only winner.
Remarkably, Smith drew 54 votes to win the award – the same number as Walsh, and the equal-most since North’s Harry Sheezel in 2023.
Only Collingwood’s Nick Daicos (60 votes) in 2022 has polled higher in a Rising Star count, with Smith following in Daicos’ footsteps as the second Oakleigh product to win the award.
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2026 Telstra AFL Rising Star WInner
Jagga Smith has been crowned the 2026 Telstra AFL Rising Star, receiving the Ron Evans Medal at tonight’s AFL Awards
Jagga Smith has been crowned the 2026 Telstra AFL Rising Star, receiving the Ron Evans Medal at tonight’s AFL Awards.
Smith won the award with 54 votes, ahead of teammate Harry Dean (39 votes), the West Coast Eagles’ Willem Duursma (29 votes) and North Melbourne’s Cooper Trembath (28 votes).
The 20-year-old received the Ron Evans Medal and $20,000 thanks to Telstra, after polling a maximum five votes from 10 of the 11-member All Australian panel.
Smith became only the second Carlton player to win the award, after Sam Walsh also polled 54 out of a possible 55 votes in 2019.
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