Finally, finally Miles Bergman has an AFL Rising Star nomination.

The most-versatile teenager joins key forward Mitch Georgiades in this year's field for the most-accomplished novice in the big league. 

Georgiades is in rare company by having two nominations in two years.

And Port Adelaide has four nominees in the past three seasons - 2019 award runner-up Connor Rozee, wingman Xavier Duursma, Georgiades and Bergman.

There is still Lachie Jones in the frame for a nomination next season while qualification rules state a player is eligible for the Rising Star crown if he starts a calendar year still to reach his 21st birthday and his 10th senior match.

Remarkably, Zak Butters does not have a Rising Star nomination on his resume.

By the premiership clock designed by Hall of Fame coach Michael Malthouse, Port Adelaide is approaching midnight - when fireworks should rise in celebration of a flag.

The eternal challenge of list-management teams is to stop the clock moving quickly behind midnight, forcing a hard rewind - a tough rebuild and a challenging fall to the lower depths of the AFL ladder.

Port Adelaide appears - by strong on-field results that have the team in the top-four today and emerging talent as noted with Rising Star nominees - to be capable of setting up a long chime of the 12 midnight bells at Alberton.

Beyond the Rising Star nominations, there also is the recognition of midfielder Willem Drew in the AFL Players' Association nominations for the 22under22 line-up. The 40-man squad also includes Georgiades, and would have honoured Rozee, Butters and Duursma had injury not limited this impressive trio this season.

This is a tribute to Port Adelaide list manager Jason Cripps for his vision of establishing the AFL's best under-25 squad. His adventurous trade plays to secure prime draft picks in recent years is destined to fulfil this vision.

And there is credit due to senior coach Ken Hinkley for putting the club's long-term interests ahead of his immediate needs for a solid personal win-loss record.

As Port Adelaide president David Koch said in January while announcing Hinkley's contract extension to the end of 2023: "Ken has selflessly coached and rebuilt our football program to deliver what we think is best for sustained success of our club."

Former Port Adelaide captain Dom Cassisi recently noted: "Port Adelaide has been the bravest in the competition for evolving its list.

"Ken Hinkley has let the club make brave decisions to evolve the list by trading established players such as Chad Wingard (to Hawthorn), Jared Polec (to North Melbourne) and Dougal Howard (to St Kilda) to get early draft picks that give the team Mitch Georgiades, Connor Rozee, Xavier Duursma, Zak Butters ..."

Port Adelaide's present is exciting. Its future is promising.

There are many theories on list management. There we many levers to work with salary caps, free agency, drafting and trading ... and so many uncertainties with injury, form and life, including COVID-forced changes with list sizes and soft caps in football department spending.

Having key men on the same page - of a book with seemingly endless pages - has put Port Adelaide in a solid position with its list management.

And Bergman - a player who has rebounded from the false start last year when COVID-19 protocols denied him a SANFL stage to show his talents - finally has his Rising Star nomination.

Hinkley accurately forecast such for the 2019 No.14 draftee last Friday saying: "He has had a great season. He has played all bar one game in a top-four side. He has done some really good stuff to maintain his position in the side for a young player particularly when you consider last year (he could not play in the SANFL by the COVID protocols). 

"He is an exciting young player. He has an enormous future. I am sure he will get enough recognition at the right time. And it would not surprise me if he is nominated in the next two to three weeks."

Those teenagers signing draft forms today will see Port Adelaide as the AFL club that can fulfil their dreams. It is a significant note less than a decade since the club's own future was in question.