Adelaide defender Daniel Talia has been rewarded for an impressive first half of the season by earning the Round 12 AFL Rising Star nomination.
Coach Brent Sanderson has handed Talia some key defensive assignments in his 11 matches this year, the latest of which had him manning St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt.
And the 20-year-old again passed with flying colours, restricting Riewoldt to just nine disposals and two goals.
Talia admitted he has benefitted from the recent departures of key defenders Nathan Bock and Phil Davis to Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney respectively.
"When I first got to the club there were a lot of really talented backmen like Phil and Nathan as well as 'Truck' (Ben Rutten) and Scott Stevens. I was wondering how I'd ever get into this side, I'm that far back," Talia told the AFL's official website.
"Things worked out well for me, not that we wanted to lose Phil and Nathan or have Scott retire, but that all happened pretty quickly and I suppose I was forced to play really early because the spot was open.
"I took that opportunity with both hands and I still want to consolidate my spot back there and I'm grateful I've got the opportunity now."
Talia, who was taken by Adelaide at pick No.13 in the 2009 draft, has played a total of 20 games for the Crows and has not missed a match since debuting in Round 15 last year.