DARCY BYRNE-JONES is the AFL's Rising Star nominee for Round 10 after a lauded performance against the Demons in Alice Springs.
The 20-year-old was influential in defence, earning 23 possessions, eight marks, four inside-50s, three rebounds and a goal in just his eighth game, while keeping Jeff Garlett to nine touches.
But it continues weeks of good form reaching back the the pre-season where he first caught the eye of coaches.
Returning to the SANFL after a consistent NAB Challenge, Byrne-Jones earned a call up to play the Bombers in Round 3 and hasn't looked back.
It's been a fast rise for Byrne-Jones who spent his first seasons at the club in the SANFL, including in the club's finals campaigns in 2014 and 2015.
"It's been a bit of a long road but it's good to finally get out there," Byrne-Jones told portadelaidefc.com.au.
"At the end of the day, I'm just out there trying to play some good footy for the team, help the team win and hopefully finish off the rest of the year in a good fashion."
His coach Ken Hinkley lauded his effort on Saturday, describing his start to 2016 as among the best first eight games a player could hope for.
"Darcy has been really solid for us over the past eight games,” Hinkley said following Byrne-Jones's nomination.
“But you can only reach that sort of form when you’ve been consistent for weeks and I’ve said before that Darce had a really strong pre-season.
“He’s had eight really good games and deserves to be recognised for last week’s performance, he just does the team thing every week and from that perspective he's been really good for us."
Byrne-Jones becomes Port Adelaide's 28th Rising Star nomination and first since Jarman Impey in 2014.
