AFL
5 months ago
The young key forward who has caught Lyon's eye, and the player who deserves Rising Star consideration
By Nic Negrepontis
Garry Lyon is a big fan of young Hawthorn key forward Calsher Dear.
Dear is the son of club great Paul Dear and was selected with Pick 56 in the 2023 National Draft.
He has played 13 games for the Hawks so far this season, kicking 16 goals and averaging 2.6 marks per game.
Dear has caught Lyon’s eye, saying he has all the traits you would be looking for in a key forward.
“I’ve got one for you whose development I’m absolutely loving and that’s Calsher Dear. He’s a lovely jumper at the ball with some very strong hands,” Lyon told SEN Breakfast.
“In his first year of footy, he’s made a fist of playing key forward as well as any first-year player has.
“I’m talking about the likes of Jed Walter, Aaron Cadman, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, all these blokes who were taken at the top of the draft – he’s had a better first season than those blokes.
“He’s making a fist of playing as a key forward. He just needs to work on his goal kicking.”
Dear is yet to receive a nomination for this year’s Rising Star award, which will likely be awarded to Geelong wingman Ollie Dempsey, given the suspensions of Harley Reid and Sam Darcy.
Lyon agrees with the consensus that Dempsey deserves to be leading the race.
“I am a big fan of George Wardlaw, but he’s missed a few games with concussion and Ollie Dempsey has had a few good games in that stretch so I think he is ahead,” he said.
Tim Watson however believes Gold Coast defender Bodhi Uwland deserves some recognition in the Rising Star race.
“He’s been handed some very big assignments. He’s played every week and been super,” Watson said.
“I hope he gets due consideration even though he’s a defender.”
