- Jun 9, 2008
- 13,506
- 15,347
- AFL Club
- Carlton
Alright, I’m just going to say it: Jagga Smith is already the 2026 Rising Star winner. Hand him the medal now, save everyone the time, let the AFL graphics team go home early.
Like seriously - have you seen a kid enter the league with this much ridiculous inevitability?
The bloke averaged a billion disposals a game in juniors (fine, 33.9, but same thing at that level), captained Vic Metro like a 30-year-old accountant, and then Carlton rated him so highly they basically threw the draft board out the window and said, “Yep, give us THAT ONE, cheers.”
Then the ACL happened. And what does Jagga do? Sulks? Cries? Plays Fortnite for six months?
Nope. He goes full monk mode. Takes notes on Sam Walsh like he’s cramming for the AFL exam, hits rehab like it personally offended him, and apparently rocks up every day training his legs, core, and upper body like he’s trying to speedrun the Chris Judd transformation arc.
And every Carlton official is like:
“Yeah, he’ll be better after the ACL.”
Oh cool, so injuries make him stronger now? That seems fair and definitely not terrifying for the rest of the competition.
Patrick Cripps basically said the kid is built different. When Cripps calls you mentally tough, that’s like God giving you a character reference.
Here’s the best part:
Because he missed 2025, he’s going to debut in 2026 with a year of AFL education and zero wear and tear. A fresh, fully-charged, genetically-engineered midfield problem just waiting to explode onto the league.
But sure, let’s pretend someone else is winning Rising Star.
Let’s pretend some half-decent first-year forward pocket averaging 11 touches and two behinds is going to be “in the mix.”
Please.
This thing is Jagga’s medal, the rest is just theatre.
Like seriously - have you seen a kid enter the league with this much ridiculous inevitability?
The bloke averaged a billion disposals a game in juniors (fine, 33.9, but same thing at that level), captained Vic Metro like a 30-year-old accountant, and then Carlton rated him so highly they basically threw the draft board out the window and said, “Yep, give us THAT ONE, cheers.”
Then the ACL happened. And what does Jagga do? Sulks? Cries? Plays Fortnite for six months?
Nope. He goes full monk mode. Takes notes on Sam Walsh like he’s cramming for the AFL exam, hits rehab like it personally offended him, and apparently rocks up every day training his legs, core, and upper body like he’s trying to speedrun the Chris Judd transformation arc.
And every Carlton official is like:
“Yeah, he’ll be better after the ACL.”
Oh cool, so injuries make him stronger now? That seems fair and definitely not terrifying for the rest of the competition.
Patrick Cripps basically said the kid is built different. When Cripps calls you mentally tough, that’s like God giving you a character reference.
Here’s the best part:
Because he missed 2025, he’s going to debut in 2026 with a year of AFL education and zero wear and tear. A fresh, fully-charged, genetically-engineered midfield problem just waiting to explode onto the league.
But sure, let’s pretend someone else is winning Rising Star.
Let’s pretend some half-decent first-year forward pocket averaging 11 touches and two behinds is going to be “in the mix.”
Please.
This thing is Jagga’s medal, the rest is just theatre.
