Round 4 - Jared Brennan
The co-captain of the 2002 Northern Territory under-18 side made one of the most memorable debuts of recent times against Collingwood in round four. Brennan had already been described during the pre-season by coach Leigh Matthews as the best first-year player he had ever seen and the football world quickly saw why. A tall, quick athletic type, Brennan gained attention for the way he gathered and held the ball with one hand. He began the match up forward and booted a goal before going back to mind Chris Tarrant. This first-up performance earned Brennan his nomination. After playing eight games, his season was ended by a groin injury.