Adelaide young gun Dan Curtin capped a standout second season, finishing runner-up in the 2025 AFL Rising Star award.

Curtin polled 35 votes to place second, behind Fremantle’s Murphy Reid, who topped the count with 49.

The Rising Star, known as the Ron Evans Medal, was awarded at the Brownlow Medal event on Monday night.

Curtin, 20, lined up in every game this season, including Adelaide’s two finals.

He received a Rising Star nomination in Round 13 and was noted for his improved form, particularly after transitioning to the wing.

The utility, who also swung forward at times during the season, averaged 13.2 disposals across 23 games, having claimed 26 disposals on two occasions (R6 v Richmond, and R18 v the Bulldogs).

The Telstra AFL Rising Star is chosen through two main phases - A panel of experts nominate one eligible player each week of the regular season based on their performance in that specific round.

Then, at the end of the season, the same panel casts 5-4-3-2-1 votes for the nominated players to determine the overall winner.

Eligibility requires players to be under 21 by January 1 that year, and to have played 10 or fewer senior games before the season started. 

Former Crow Daniel Talia is the only Adelaide player to have won the Rising Star award, taking it home in 2012.

2025 AFL Rising Star leaderboard

Murphy Reid (Fremantle) 48 votes

Dan Curtin (Adelaide) 35 votes

Levi Ashcroft (Brisbane) 26 votes

Harvey Langford (Melbourne) 20 votes

Connor O’Sullivan (Geelong) 15 votes

Allocation of votes

Andrew Dillon (chair)

5. Murphy Reid (Fremantle)

4. Levi Ashcroft (Brisbane)

3. Dan Curtin (Adelaide)

2. Harvey Langford (Melbourne)

1. Connor O'Sullivan (Geelong)

Laura Kane

5. Murphy Reid 

4. Dan Curtin

3. Connor O'Sullivan

2. Levi Ashcroft

1. Harvey Langford

Kane Cornes

5. Murphy Reid

4. Levi Ashcroft

3. Harvey Langford

2. Dan Curtin

1. Connor O’Sullivan

Eddie Betts

5. Murphy Reid

4. Dan Curtin

3. Connor O’Sullivan

2. Harvey Langford

1. Archie Roberts

Nathan Buckley

5. Dan Curtin

4. Harvey Langford

3. Murphy Reid

2. Connor O’Sullivan

1. Archie Roberts (Essendon)

Abbey Holmes

5. Murphy Reid

4. Dan Curtin

3. Levi Ashcroft

2. Connor O’Sullivan

1. Archie Roberts (Essendon)

Jude Bolton

5. Murphy Reid

4. Dan Curtin

3. Levi Ashcroft

2. Archie Roberts

1. Harvey Langford

Glen Jakovich

5. Murphy Reid

4. Levi Ashcroft

3. Dan Curtin

2. Connor O’Sullivan

1. Archie Roberts

Matthew Pavlich

5. Murphy Reid

4. Dan Curtin

3. Levi Ashcroft

2. Connor O’Sullivan

1. Harvey Langford

Kevin Sheehan

5. Murphy Reid

4. Harvey Langford

3. Levi Ashcroft

2. Dan Curtin

1. Connor O’Sullivan