10 GAMES into his AFL career, Melbourne’s Jacob van Rooyen has been rewarded for his efforts in the red and blue, receiving the AFL Rising Star nomination for Round 12.

The nomination comes after another consistent performance from the 20-year-old during the Demon’s 17-point win over Carlton on Friday.

Van Rooyen registered a career-high 16 disposals and seven marks, alongside his one goal.

The tall forward first joined Melbourne at the end of 2021 and has quickly made a positive impression on the league, kicking three goals on debut during Round 3 of the 2023 season. 

Van Rooyen has shown that his contest skills stack up at AFL level, proving his strength both in the air and at ground level.

Not only has he impressed on-field, but the forward has won the affection of the Demon faithful, known for his “Roo” chant that can be heard echoed throughout the MCG.

Senior coach Simon Goodwin praised the young star following Friday night’s match, for his dedication to improvement.

“He’s in his second year of footy and we’re putting a lot of work into him, a lot of work into his game and he’s just lapping it up,” Goodwin said

“He just wants to get better, he wants to compete and he wants to have an impact and he’s going to keep doing that for us.”

This is club’s first AFL Rising Star nomination for 2023.