Ollie Dempsey Wins 2024 Telstra Rising Star Award

Ollie Dempsey has secured the prestigious Telstra Rising Star Award for 2024, distinguishing himself as one of the best young players in the AFL.

This remarkable achievement makes Dempsey only the second player from Geelong to receive this honor, following the footsteps of Joel Selwood, who won the award in 2007.

In a highly competitive selection process, Dempsey emerged as the favorite, garnering an impressive 52 votes out of a possible 55. He outperformed North Melbourne‘s George Wardlaw, who finished with 43 votes, and Brisbane‘s Kai Lohmann, with 21 votes, among others.

During his acceptance speech, the 21-year-old Dempsey humorously acknowledged the contributions of his competitors, specifically mentioning the suspensions of Sam Darcy and Harley Reid, which ultimately allowed him to win the award.

Dempsey, who was initially drafted as a rookie in 2021, played only seven games in his first two seasons at Geelong but made significant strides in his performance this year, participating in all 23 matches and averaging 18 disposals and a goal per game.

The Rising Star Award was decided by a panel of 10 experts, including AFL Talent Ambassador Kevin Sheehan. Votes were cast on a scale of 5-4-3-2-1, with Dempsey receiving maximum votes from nine out of eleven judges.

The final votes recorded were: Dempsey in first place with 52 votes, followed by Wardlaw with 43 votes, Lohmann with 21 votes, Darcy Wilson with 15 votes, and Colby McKercher with 12 votes, rounding out the top five.