Carlton first-year defender Aaron Joseph's stopping work on some of the AFL's most dangerous players has earned him the round 12 Rising Star nomination.

The rookie-listed 19-year-old made his debut against Richmond in the opening round and has not been out of the senior side since.

Most recently, he kept St Kilda goalsneak Stephen Milne quiet in Carlton's narrow loss on the opening Friday night of the split round, while picking up 19 touches himself.

Joseph initially made a big impression with an excellent tagging job on Geelong star Gary Ablett in a pre-season match.

His opponents since have included Adelaide's Andrew McLeod, West Coast's Daniel Kerr and Richmond's Ben Cousins.

He is averaging three tackles per game, trailing only skipper Chris Judd and Marc Murphy in the Blues' tackle count.

Carlton coach Brett Ratten said Joseph's climb from the rookie list to cement himself in the senior side was a "great football story".

"It is the manner in which he has applied himself and worked as a team player, both defensively and in an attacking manner, that has really impressed us and is a great example of what can be achieved," Ratten said.

He said the teenager was likely to be assigned to pacy Essendon small forward Alwyn Davey in Friday night's big clash at the MCG.

Joseph, from Glenorchy in Tasmania, spent most of his junior days playing on a gravel oval in neighbouring Queenstown.

He was drafted onto the Blues' rookie list for last season, which he spent playing with the Northern Bullants in the VFL.

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