IT was only a matter of time until Sam De Koning finally got the nod and now it’s official, with the exciting young Cat named as the Round 11 Rising Star nominee.
The wiry key position prospect has been excelling in his role against the opposition’s tallest forward since he was given the green light in Round 1 and was told the news by Tom Stewart in a team meeting today.
With 10 games in 2022 under his belt, the 2019 first rounder has finally won over the Rising Star selection committee.
“It was good to hear it from Tommy Stewart himself and I’m stoked,” De Koning says.
“It’s a privilege and I’m happy to be playing consistent footy and getting a game every week and this is just a bonus on top.”
De Koning now sits equal 12th in the league for average intercept marks and his long reach is quickly becoming a weapon for the Cats.
It’s taken two full seasons in the gym for the 204cm Cat to build his body to the point where he can compete with the AFL’s biggest and meanest forwards, after making his debut as a forward in 2021.
They say it takes a village to raise a child and the same goes with key defenders.
“Stewy has obviously been huge but also Blitz (Mark Blicavs) and Harry (Taylor) being back at the club and Ego (Matt Egan) even Tom Atkins and some of the other boys who are just great vocally,” he says.
“I’m a bit of a quiet guy so they’ve just been huge with getting my confidence up and making sure I can go out there and play my role every week.”
