1993: Nathan Buckley (Brisbane Bears)
Buckley made a sensational impact in his one and only season at the Brisbane Bears, winning the inaugural Rising Star award. Buckley, though, would leave Robert Walls, Roger Merrett and co. at the end of the season to join Collingwood, a club he would captain between 1999 and 2007.
1994: Chris Scott (Brisbane Bears)
Scott's first season at the Brisbane Bears earned him the Rising Star, playing 19 games, kicking nine goals and averaging 15 disposals. He went on to play in the Lions' 2001 and 2002 premierships.
1995: Nick Holland (Hawthorn)
A powerfully built centre-half forward, Holland played 15 games to take out the Rising Star award in his second year in the League. The big Hawk went on to play 179 games in 12 seasons for Hawthorn.
1996: Ben Cousins (West Coast)
Cousins was the midfielder who could run, run and run. He was also able to move forward, evidenced by his excellent debut season in 1996, when he kicked 34 goals to claim the Rising Star.
1997: Michael Wilson (Port Adelaide)
A tough, uncompromising defender, Wilson enjoyed a successful 11-year career at Port Adelaide. Wilson's bravery characterised the Power's push to its first premiership win in 2004.
1998: Byron Pickett (North Melbourne)
From his first season, Pickett showed his fierce and hard attack on the ball. Physical and able to lay some bone-crunching bumps, Pickett played 25 games in his debut season, including the Kangaroos' losing 1998 Grand Final. He went on to win the Norm Smith Medal at Port Adelaide in its 2004 flag triumph.
1999: Adam Goodes (Sydney Swans)
A two-time Brownlow medallist and dual premiership player, Goodes broke Andrew McLeod's record for most games played by an indigenous player earlier this season and is universally regarded as a champion of the game.
2000: Paul Hasleby (Fremantle)
It took Paul Hasleby one game to establish himself as the standout of the Rising Star crop in 2000. On debut the Dockers midfielder gathered 30 disposals and kept at a strong pace, playing all bar one game and averaging 21 touches.
2001: Justin Koschitzke (St Kilda)
An oft-maligned player, Koschitzke formed an impressive forward line partnership with fellow Saint Nick Riewoldt. At his best the forward/ruckman was a superb overhead mark and it was a feature during his 200-game career.
2002: Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda)
Big, strong and blond-haired, there was no missing Nick Riewoldt when he burst onto the scene. The St Kilda star won the Rising Star in his second season and became one of the competition's most prominent young forwards averaging eight marks.
2003: Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn)
Overlooked at the 2000 National Draft, Mitchell's career has been one of persistence. Forced his way onto Hawthorn's list on the back of a superb season in 2001 for Box Hill. The midfielder captained the Hawks to their 2008 premiership victory.
2004: Jared Rivers (Melbourne)
Rivers' breakout season in defence saw him crowned the 2004 winner, after establishing himself as a terrific shut-down Demons backman. A strong mark who also gathered plenty of disposals, Rivers played 10 seasons at Melbourne before crossing to Geelong, where he has just signed a new contract.
2005: Brett Deledio (Richmond)
The 2004 No.1 draft pick burst on to the scene in his first year in the AFL. A dual winner of Richmond's best and fairest award, the prototype utility has been a model of consistency throughout his career.
2006: Danyle Pearce (Port Adelaide)
The kiss of joy. It was impossible to wipe the smile from Danyle Pearce's face after winning the 2006 Rising Star award. In his second season with Port Adelaide, Pearce played every game, kicked 12 goals and showed his blistering pace.
2007: Joel Selwood (Geelong)
Won the NAB Rising Star award and a premiership in his first season at the Cats, providing the example for future youngsters to follow. Now Geelong's captain, Selwood is one of the most respected players in the game.
2008: Rhys Palmer (Fremantle)
Rhys Palmer was ready for the top level when he graduated from the draft to Fremantle in 2008. In 20 games he averaged 23 disposals and became a prolific, hard-working midfielder who simply knew how to find the ball. He was signed by GWS in 2011 in preparation for its first season in the AFL.
2009: Daniel Rich (Brisbane Lions)
Rich's lethal left boot became synonymous with the new breed of Brisbane Lions players. He played every game in his debut season, impressing with his ball winning ability (17.3 disposals a game) and finishing in front of goal (14).
2010: Dan Hannebery (Sydney Swans)
Hannebery was still studying year 12 at Xavier College when he made his debut in 2009. By the end of his second season, he was the Rising Star. Courageous and composed, Hannebery had grown up around footy. His dad, Matt, played 32 games for Footscray.
2011: Dyson Heppell (Essendon)
Essendon knew they had a winner as soon as Dyson Heppell set foot in the club. He blossomed under then coach James Hird to take out the Rising Star award and has gone from strength to strength during his career.
2012: Daniel Talia (Adelaide)
Defenders don't win the Brownlow Medal, but they do get recognised in the Rising Star voting. Such was the case for Adelaide's Daniel Talia, who was the outstanding backman in the 2012 field. Agile, quick and hard to beat, he outplayed many of the competition's leading forwards.
2013: Jaeger O'Meara (Gold Coast)
O'Meara started as red-hot favourite to take out the award and lived up to expectations with a stellar first season at AFL level. Averaged 21 disposals a game, showing the kind of talent rarely seen in a first-year player.
2014: Lewis Taylor (Brisbane Lions)
Having spent Christmas 2013 in a moonboot, Taylor made his debut in round one and played every match for the Lions. The small forward won plenty of ball playing up the ground and became the fourth Brisbane player to take out the award.
2015: Jesse Hogan (Melbourne)
It had been a long time between drinks for the big men, but Hogan's romping win in the 2015 Award made him the first key forward to take out the Award since Nick Riewoldt in 2002. Hogan missed 2004 with a back injury, so his return of 44 goals in his maiden AFL season was doubly sweet in a year low on high points for suffering Demon fans.
2016: Callum Mills (Sydney Swans)
Mills earned his own slice of history by becoming the first NSW product to win the award. An Academy recruit from Sydney's North Shore, he was raised on rugby union before first picking up AFL when he was 13. Mills slotted seamlessly into the Swans defence, averaging 19 touches in a composed debut season.
