Following her impressive performance against Sydney on Saturday, exciting Essendon ruck Steph Wales has earned the round eight NAB Rising Star nomination.

Wales was named alongside GWS’s Tarni Evans as one of the round eight nominees.

In just her eighth AFLW game, Wales collected 21 hit outs, seven disposals and seven tackles.

A cross-code athlete with a background as an elite basketballer, the 19-year-old was playing local football at the Oakleigh Dragons in the South Metro Junior Football League at the start of the year before signing with the Casey Demons in the VFLW.

Continuing her meteoric rise through the football ranks, Wales was drafted from Casey Demons VFLW side with pick No.32 in the 2022 NAB AFLW Draft.

After making her debut against her twin sister Lucy in Essendon’s first-ever AFLW game against Hawthorn, Wales had a breakout game in round three with a strong three-goal, 10-hit-out and eight-disposal performance.

Following Jorja Borg’s season-ending foot injury, Wales has stepped up to carry the ruck load and has embraced the experience of taking on the league’s best rucks.

Essendon senior coach Natalie Wood said the award was a recognition of Wales’ dedication and investment into her own development.

“This is a fantastic acknowledgement of Steph’s growth mindset and diligent work on and off the field to improve her craft,” Wood said.

“Steph has taken on some of the league’s top-tier rucks this year and has taken these challenges on with real curiosity and dedication to learn off her opponents.

“She’s taken tremendous steps forward this year and I’m really excited to see how she continues to grow and improve."