Gold Coast midfielder Jaeger O'Meara wins AFL Rising Star award Gold Coast star Jaeger O'Meara celebrates his Rising Star win. GOLD Coast young gun Jaeger O'Meara is the AFL's 'King of the kids' after claiming the Rising Star award in Melbourne today. The 19-year-old became the first Suns player - and the fourth from a Queensland club - to claim the Ron Evans Medal as the competition's best young player when he polled 44 out of a possible 45 votes to beat Adelaide's Brad Crouch (31 votes) and Port Adelaide's Ollie Wines (26). The only judge out of the expert panel of nine not to give the full five votes to O'Meara was Crows great Mark Ricciuto. The Gold Coast midfielder was the white-hot favourite to claim the gong after making an immediate and stunning impact in senior football with his power, poise and precise skills earmarking him as an AFL superstar of the future. O'Meara played all 22 home-and-away games for the Suns who went from three wins in 2012 to eight wins in 2013. His presence in the Gold Coast midfield was one of thre driving forces behind their climb up the ladder. Who is the real Rising Star of 2013? Under AFL rules, he sat out the 2012 season after being picked up at the GWS mini-draft at the end of 2011 but carried the expectations of a no.1 draft pick at the start of 2013 given his outstanding junior career in WA. His drive and determination to succeed was evident in his polished acceptance speech. "It's always been a dream of mine to play AFL footy so I'm very proud to be here," O'Meara said. I don't want to leave any stone unturned. Gold Coast's Jaeger O'Meara in action, back in his home state, against the West Coast Eagles on Saturday. O'Meara had a modest 12 touches in his senior debut against St Kilda in Round 1 but it would be his least productive outing for the year as his athleticism, toughness and football smarts became a genuine weapon for the Suns. He averaged 21.6 disposals a game with a season-high 32 touches in the Round 14 clash with Adelaide. The plaudits rolled in long before he was awarded the Rising Star today. AFL great Tim Watson said that O'Meara could be the greatest midfielder to play the game. Fellow AFL great and radio co-host Robert Walls could not disagree. "It's humbling to hear things like that but it's only my first year of AFL footy," O'Meara said. Ablett even threw O'Meara's name into the hat to succeed him as Suns skipper. Already signed for 2014, O'Meara signed for another two years in July to keep him at Carrara until the end of 2016.