AFL QUEENSLAND
Friday 9 September, 2011
ELECTRIFYING NT Thunder forward Ross Tungatalum has won the 2011 NAB NEAFL Northern Conference Rising Star Award.
Tungatalum, one of 19 weekly nominations for the coveted award, polled 34 votes in the end-of-season tally to beat Broadbeach's Kallen Geary (23) and Thunder team-mate Jed Anderson (22).
Morningside's Tom Bell (18) and Peter Yagmoor (17), and Redland's Alex Sexton (16) completed the top bracket in a hot field that underlined the enormous young talent emerging via the North East Australian Football League Northern Conference.
Tungatalum's resounding victory completed back-to-back Rising Star wins for the Thunder after Western Bulldogs AFL draftee Zephaniah Skinner won it in 2010.
It also served as a timely pick-me-up for Tungatalum, who was omitted from the NT side for the major semi-final last Saturday night because he had failed to meet the club's core 'earn or learn' philosophies.
Tungatalum (pictured) also missed two games during the year for personal reasons, and declined an invitation to join the Queensland squad for the interstate clash with Western Australia in Perth.
But the final judging panel for the Rising Star Award, which comprised the 10 NEAFL coaches and three independent AFLQ officials, were not concerned, given his match-winning feats through the qualifying rounds.
They were asked to vote on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis according to three specific criteria, and with a nominated weighting for performance at State League and representative levels, and potential to go to a higher level.
(a) 25% -- Performance in representative football at U18, U21 and Senior level.
(b) 25% -- Performance in 2010-11 QAFL/NEAFL competition
(c) 50% -- Scope to be drafted or rookie listed by an AFL club, or the potential to play at a higher level.
Interestingly, no less than nine different players received the top-ranking five votes from the 13 judges. And 16 of the 19 nominees received votes in the final assessment.
Tungatalum, in his first season with the Thunder, received votes from 10 of the 13 judges, including two five-vote ratings as the pick of the field. He received four four-vote ratings.
There can be no doubting the exquisite skills of Tungatalum, who kicked 49 goals in 15 games to rank fourth on the home-and-away list behind team-mate Darren Ewing (99), Broadbeach's Jason Eagle (50) and Redland's Josh Pullman (50).
And had he not sat out the final round he would almost certainly have gone past Eagle and Pullman to give the Thunder a quinella in the Ray Hughson Medal.
He kicked a season-high five goals against Morningside (round 5), the Brisbane Lions (round 11 and Broadbeach (round 17), and got on the scoresheet in every game he played.
Tungatalum's outstanding home-and-away season followed his sizzling introduction to the NEAFL when he kicked all of the Thunder's four first-quarter goals in their round 1 Foxtel Cup match against Morningside in Adelaide.
He was new to the football world in south-east Queensland, but was already well-known to the Territorians as an immensely talented and naturally gifted player.
A Tiwi Islands product who goes by the nickname 'Rocco', he represented NT in the 2008 NAB Australian Under-18 Championships before being taken by St Kilda at No.71 in the 2009 AFL Rookie Draft.
After one season with the Saints he returned to the Territory to play in his second premiership with St Mary's in the 2009-10 NTFL season.
The Thunder had hoped to secure his services for the 2010 QAFL season but he was lured to WAFL club South Fremantle. He did well to break into South's senior side but things didn't work out off the field and he returned home mid-season.
Then, playing with the Tiwi Bombers in the 2010-11 NTFL season, he took the competition by storm, winning the ABC Player of the Year award and the Bombers Best & Fairest.
He was gleefully snared by the Thunder for the 2011 NEAFL season, commuting from Bathurst Island to join the team's quest for an historic premiership.
He had been working as a Year 2 teacher's assistant and student mentor at MSC Catholic School earlier in the season.
Last Modified on 09/09/2011 13:53