“I definitely think the fans will like him because he’s going to shoot onto the scene pretty quickly.”
Len Villani, you got it spot on.
The then-Eastern Rangers talent manager foretold the arrival of Jaidyn Stephenson as one of the game’s brightest young talents ahead of last year’s National Draft in the Knox Leader.
Less than 12 months on, Stephenson has captured the hearts of Collingwood supporters everywhere after a stunning debut season that was capped on Friday when he was voted the club’s first men’s winner of the AFL Rising Star Award.
Stephenson, who was taken with the sixth selection in last November’s draft, has enjoyed a stellar season for several reasons.
He hasn’t missed a game
The teenager is the first Magpie in 15 years to play all 22 home and away matches in his debut season.
Not since Matthew Lokan in 2003 has a Collingwood draftee played each home and away match in his first season.
He is one of seven Magpies to play all 22 matches so far this season, joining Steele Sidebottom, Tom Phillips, Jack Crisp, Brodie Grundy, Josh Thomas and Will Hoskin-Elliott as those to feature at every turn.
Most games played in a debut home and away season by a Magpie since 2000:
22 – Matthew Lokan (2003), Jaidyn Stephenson (2018)
21 – Josh Fraser (2000), Ryan Lonie (2001), Nathan Brown (2008)
A genuine goal kicking threat
It took Stephenson four weeks to make an impact on the scoreboard, but once he got started, he hasn’t looked like stopping.
In the 19 games since round four, Stephenson has kicked 34 goals and 20 behinds, ranking behind only Will Hoskin-Elliott (39 goals), Jordan De Goey (36) and Josh Thomas (35) as the most impactful Magpies this season.
Twitter statistician @sirswampthing notes that 2018 is the first year since 1980 that four Collingwood players have kicked 30 or more goals in a season.
Big performances
It’s not just how many goals Stephenson kicked, but it’s when he kicked them.
He kicked five goals in the 48-point win over Adelaide on a Friday night in round four that put both he and Collingwood on the map for 2018. He earned his Rising Star nomination that weekend, and against showed his appetite for the big stage with four goals in front of 83,518 fans against Melbourne on the Queen’s Birthday.
In total, Stephenson kicked three or more goals on five occasions and kicked two or more goals in 11 games.
He went goalless just seven times and failed to impact the scoreboard just four times, and only once after round three.
More than goals
Weighing in at just 79 kilograms, Stephenson laid 65 tackles during the home and away season, a tally only seven of his teammates bettered.
He took 26 marks inside Collingwood’s attacking 50m, ranking fourth at the club behind Hoskin-Elliott (44), Mason Cox (33) and Jordan De Goey (33).
In fact, the Magpies sent the ball into Stephenson 76 times for the year. Again, only Cox, De Goey and Hoskin-Elliott received more service.
Of players who played more than 11 games (more than half of the home and away season), Stephenson ranks behind only Brody Mihocek for averaged metres gained per disposal (18.9 metres).
Where does he rank?
In the past 30 years, no Magpie debutant has kicked as many goals in their debut year since Graham Wright’s 38 in 1988.
38 – Graham Wright (1988)
34 – Jaidyn Stephenson (2018)
29 – Saverio Rocca (1992)*
25 – Colin Alexander (1989), John Anthony (2008)
23 – Mark Richardson (1991)
21 – Stephen Patterson (1995)
20 – Shane Watson (1992)
19 – Paul Williams (1991)
17 – Craig Kelly (1989), Mason Cox (2016)
16 – Scott Russell (1990), Alex Fasolo (2011)
15 – Tony Francis (1990), Brett James (1994), Sam Dwyer (2013)
14 – Heath Shephard (1989), Dayne Beams (2009)
11 – Leon Davis (2000), Josh Thomas (2013)
10 – Travis Cloke (2005), Dale Thomas (2006)
*Rocca played just 10 senior games in his debut season.
A year Collingwood can be proud of
Until 2018, no Collingwood player had ever won the AFL Rising Star Award.
That all changed in March when AFL Women’s sensational Chloe Molloy was recognised for her outstanding debut season.
Five months later, Stephenson has become the first Collingwood men’s player to win the coveted award.
It’s nice to know the futures of both teams are in such capable hands.
Jaidyn Stephenson is offically Collingwood's first AFL Rising Star winner. Image: AFL Photos.
