Demons Sam Blease bags Rising Star vote
Melbourne midfielder Sam Blease was dogged by injury in the early part of his career, but he's overcome the setbacks to be named the AFL's Rising Star nomination for round 23.
Blease starred for the Demons in their 30-point thumping of the Gold Coast Suns at the MCG on Sunday, with 22 kicks and six marks.
The 20-year-old has only played four senior games for the club since debuting against the Western Bulldogs in Round 15.
Melbourne's caretaker coach Todd Viney said he wasn't the only one "rapt" by Blease's stellar performance at the weekend.
"You can just hear the crowd get really excited when he starts to take off and you see him run and bounce and take the game on," Viney said.
"He's going to be a really good player for us."
Recruited from the Eastern Ranges, Melbourne selected Blease in the 2008 AFL Draft.
But a broken leg ended his 2009 season with the Demons and saw him sidelined for the first 16 rounds of the next AFL year.
He bounced back to play the last six games for VFL affiliate Casey Scorpions, including a final.
The Norwood junior represented Vic Metro at the AFL Under 18 Championships, and is also a 2007 AIS/AFL Academy graduate.
A nominee is chosen after every round of the home and away season, with one of these candidates to be chosen as the 2011 AFL Rising Star.
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