Brisbane Lions young guns James Aish and Lewy Taylor are among a handful of legitimate contenders in line to win the prestigious AFL Rising Star award.

The winner will be revealed next week, based on the votes from the 10-man selection panel, which consists of: AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan, Kevin Bartlett, Luke Darcy, Mark Evans, Danny Frawley, Glen Jakovich, Cameron Ling, Matthew Richardson, Warren Tredrea and Kevin Sheehan.

Each judge will vote on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis for their preferred candidate over the season.

In terms of favouritism, Taylor and Aish sit on the second and third line of betting respectively with most agencies, suggesting that a podium finish (at the very least) might be on the cards.

Standing in their way are a range of other notable candidates, including Western Bulldogs utility Marcus Bontempelli – who is the pre-count favourite – Josh Kelly (GWS Giants), Luke McDonald (Kangaroos), Kade Kolodjashnij (Gold Coast), Tom Langdon (Collingwood), Zach Merrett (Essendon), as well as a host of others.

But statistically, it’s easy to mount a case that could see either Taylor or Aish join an esteemed list of previous Rising Stars at the Brisbane Lions, which includes Nathan Buckley (1993), Chris Scott (1994), and more recently, Daniel Rich (2009).

LEWIS TAYLOR

Taylor was considered one of the steals of the 2013 AFL National Draft when the Lions snared the Victoria Country Captain with Pick No.28 – and he’s hardly put a step wrong since.

Despite nursing a foot injury for most of the pre-season, Taylor showed enough in a couple of practice matches to be selected in the Lions’ Round One team to face Hawthorn.

He has since gone on to be one of only four players – along with Dayne Zorko, Justin Clarke, and Jed Adcock – to play in every Lions match this season.

The only other Rising Star contender to have played in every one of his team’s senior matches is Sydney’s Harry Cunningham, however Taylor boasts more ‘on-field’ time.

Interestingly, no player in the past 18 years has won the award after playing less than 20 games in a season.

The punters’ favourite, Bontempelli, will finish the season with just 16 games – six fewer than Taylor.

But it’s not just about getting on the park, it’s also what you do on it, and Taylor has more than proven his worth on the field.

Playing predominantly across half-forward, he’s averaged 16.6 disposals (the seventh most of any Rising Star nominee), 4.4 marks (eighth), 2.4 inside 50s (equal third), 1.0 clearance (equal fifth), has kicked 11 goals (seventh), and contributed seven goal assists (equal sixth).

And Taylor hasn’t run out of steam at the end of the campaign either, producing his two most prolific possession games late in the season – in Round 21 against Collingwood (24 disposals) and Round 22 against Fremantle (26 disposals).

His value has not been lost on Senior Coach Justin Leppitsch, who said: “I don't think Lewy's had a bad game all year”.

It’s that type of consistency and durability that should see ‘Squizzy’ at the pointy end of the leader board once the votes are counted.

JAMES AISH

The Aish name is synonymous with South Australian football, but the latest product of this famous football family has made a name for himself in the Sunshine State.

Selected with the Lions’ prized first round selection (Pick No.7 overall) at last year’s Draft, Aish has so far lived up to his lofty expectation.

From his very first game – when he collected 17 touches against reigning premiers Hawthorn in Tasmania – he’s slotted seamlessly into the Lions’ midfield, and has been a vital cog in the ‘engine room’ ever since.

Aish will line-up for his 21st game of the season this Saturday night against the Cats – his only blemish being in Round 14, when the Club opted to rest him ahead of their clash against Fremantle in Perth.

Of the 2014 Rising Star nominees, only teammate Taylor and the Swans’ Cunningham have played more games, with Aish joining Luke McDonald as the only other candidates to have played in 20 or more matches.

Across those matches, Aish has averaged 17.5 disposals – the second most of any Rising Star behind St Kilda’s Luke Dunstan – and has racked up 20 or more touches on eight occasions.

His personal best effort so far was 25 possessions, achieved in both Round 6 against St Kilda (which earned him a nomination) and in Round 22 against Fremantle.

Aish has also averaged 4.4 marks per game (the fifth most of any Rising Star nominee), 3.6 tackles (third), 2.2 inside 50s (equal sixth), and 2.1 clearances (equal second).

Lions Champion Jonathan Brown has no doubt that Aish would be a worthy winner.

“James is very intense and very professional. He’s a great kid. He loves his footy and he’s a star of the future,” Brown told the AFLPA.

DON’T FORGET DARCY!

He might be at long odds to actually win the award, but it would be remiss not to mention the Lions’ other Rising Star, Darcy Gardiner.

Ask anyone at the Club, and they’ll tell you that Gardiner has been just as valuable as Taylor and Aish, even though his stats sheet isn’t quite as impressive.

He has quickly become a fan favourite at the Gabba, mainly due to his tenacious approach and his ability to perform those small, but critical, roles that are highly respected by the group.

In fact, Gardiner has averaged 4.8 one per centers per game this year – more than any of his fellow Rising Star nominees.

He’s also established himself in the senior side since making his debut in Round 5, playing 17 of a possible 18 games.

PREDICTIONS

Lions.com.au might harbour some bias towards Taylor and Aish, but their impressive form hasn’t been missed by the journalists at afl.com.au.

14 of their writers published their votes – in the 5-4-3-2-1 format – with the results pointing towards an incredibly tight finish.

Their predictions had Taylor finishing just two votes shy of Bontempelli, while Aish came in fourth. AFL.com.au’s top 10 were:

61 – Marcus Bontempelli (WB)
59 – Lewis Taylor (BL)
29 – Luke McDonald (NM)
15 – James Aish (BL)
8 – Luke Dunstan (StK)
6 – Harry Cunningham (SYD)
6 – Tom Langdon (COLL)
5 – Josh Kelly (GWS)
5 – Kade Kolodjashnij (GC)
5 – Jake Stringer (WB)

Five of the journalists selected Taylor as their deserving winner, while another listed Aish.

It’s important to note that resident draft expert Callum Twomey, who has followed most of these players throughout their junior years, named Taylor as his winner.

“Taylor has played every game for the season, averaged almost 17 touches and had a big impact on the way the Brisbane Lions have played. He's lit up games with pace, changed the team's dynamic and been influential and consistent,” Twomey said.

Queensland-based write, Michael Whiting, also gave Taylor the nod “based on his consistency”.

Nathan Schmook, meanwhile, believes: “Aish's ability to hold down a key midfield role all season gives him the edge, with his class regularly on display”.

2014 AFL RISING STAR NOMINEES

Round 1: Luke Dunstan (StK)
Round 2: Dylan Buckley (Carl)
Round 3: Josh Kelly (GWS)
Round 4: Luke McDonald (NM)
Round 5: Matt Crouch (Adel)
Round 6: James Aish (BL)
Round 7: Tom Langdon (Coll)
Round 8: Jarman Impey (PA)
Round 9: Lewis Taylor (BL)
Round 10: Kade Kolodjashnij (GC)
Round 11: Zach Merrett (Ess)
Round 12: Joe Daniher (Ess)
Round 13: Marcus Bontempelli (WB)
Round 14: Jack Billings (StK)
Round 15: Harry Cunningham (Syd)
Round 16: Troy Menzel (Carl)
Round 17: Nathan Hrovat (WB)
Round 18: Jonathan Patton (GWS)
Round 19: Darcy Gardiner (BL)
Round 20: Jake Stronger (WB)
Round 21: Jake Lloyd (Syd)
Round 22: Matthew Taberner (Fre)
Round 23: ???