24/06/2008 11:53 AM
It has certainly been a big week for the Morton family in the AFL after Hawthorn's Jarryd Morton claimed the Round 13 nomination for this year's Rising Star award.
Morton's effort to win the nomination in only his fifth game came after he starred for the Hawks in Saturday's surprise loss to North Melbourne with 33 possessions.
His effort came on the same weekend as older brother Mitch played a starring role for Richmond with five goals in the Tigers' gutsy win over Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium while the youngest of the three Morton brothers playing in the AFL - Cale - has enjoyed an excellent debut season with Melbourne.
The three boys are sons of former Claremont great Noel Morton.
And while the Mortons still have a way to go to match the feat of the AFL's current top family - the Selwoods, who have four brothers playing in the AFL with Adam at West Coast and Joel (last year's Rising Star winner) at Geelong already premiership players - they are quickly making their mark on the AFL.
Jarryd, 19, was the last of the three to make his debut - in Round 9 this season, ironically against younger brother Cale at Melbourne.
Since then Morton has played every game, averaging 22 disposals per game.
Morton was secured by the Hawks at pick 33 in the 2006 national draft as part of the trade deal that sent Peter Everitt to Sydney but spent all of last year in the VFL as he missed part of the season with a quad injury before seizing his opportunity this year.
"Jarryd has come into the side and shown why we rate him so highly," Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson said on Tuesday.
"He has offered us plenty of run from the wing and flanks and since his first senior game, he has continued to impress us with his aptitude to the pace of the game at the highest level."
Morton is the Hawks' second Rising Star nominee this season following on from goalsneak Cyril Rioli in Round 6 and it would not be a surprise if he was joined by his 18-year-old brother Cale by the end of the season.
Cale, who was taken at pick four in last year's national draft, has averaged 16 disposals in his 11 games this season after debuting in Round 1 while 21-year-old Mitch - who played 12 games with West Coast from 2005-2007 - has booted a healthy 16 goals from eight games in his first season at Punt Road.