Young Hawk claims Rd 14 honours

Hawthorn midfielder Grant Birchall has been rewarded for his recent good form by being named the round 14 NAB Rising Star.

Birchall, secured with the Hawks' third pick in last year's draft at number 14, has had a solid three weeks, collecting 57 possessions - and was one of few Hawks who could hold their heads up high in the loss to St Kilda in round 12.

Birchall's height, agility and ability to run through the lines make him one of Hawthorn's more versatile players, the 18-year-old performing admirably on West Coast utility Andrew Embley on Saturday.

Recruited from Tasmania after winning the Harrison Medal as best Division Two player at last year's under-18 titles where he was named All-Australian, Birchall is part of coach Alastair Clarkson's group of kids on which he has pinned the club's future.

A graduate of the AIS-AFL Academy in 2005, the long-kicking left-footer is the second Hawk this season to be nominated for the Rising Star award, following in the footsteps of Clinton Young, who was the round 12 nominee.

Birchall said on Tuesday he was delighted with the progres she has made in his debut season.

"I sat down at the start of the season and thought 10 to 12 games would be a pretty good start. My goal now is to play for the rest of the season with Hawthorn. If I could do that, I'd be pretty happy," he said.

"I'm confident. The last couple of games I've been getting a feel for it, getting amongst it and I've played on bigger bodies at junior levels so yeah, I feel confident."