"If you looked at our squad right now and said ‘What’s Gold Coast deficient in?' I'd say a solid rebounding half-back,” Guy McKenna said in September.

Bluey asked and Scott Clayton delivered.

Gold Coast’s List & Strategy Manager walked into the city's Exhibition Centre on draft night, and walked out believing he had snared three of Australian’s best young talent, in particular 18-year-old Kade Kolodjashnij.

Eight months on, and it’s becoming increasingly evident that Clayton got his man.

You only need to look at Kolodjashnij’s impressive first-year numbers to see Tassie’s highest draft selection in 17 years had made an immediate impact at senior level.

Since making his AFL debut in round two against Fremantle, Kolodjashnij has shown every bit of the potential that saw Clayton celebrate when he read out the young defender’s name with the fifth overall selection in last year’s national draft.

He has featured in seven of the SUNS’ nine matches, averaging five marks and 21 disposals per game; the highest of any this year’s rising star contenders.

And while it has taken nearly half of the season to do so, the league finally announced on Monday night Kolodjashnij was the latest young gun to receive a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination.

“I didn’t try to think about the nomination too much. I’m a team-person first but when I found the news out by Steve (Wilson, media manager) yesterday it was pretty exciting,” Kolodjashnij said.

“As soon as I found out I rang up the parents and brother (Jake) and told them and they were rapt for me also.”

He is now one of the favourites to follow in the footsteps of last year’s winner, Jaeger O’Meara, who took out the award after turning in one of the most sensational inaugural campaigns in recent years.

Former No.1 draft pick David Swallow, who also earned an NAB AFL Rising Star nomination in his inaugural 2011 season, said Kolodjashnij had made a seamless transition to AFL football since his arriving during pre-season training.

“Kade has had a terrific start to the year; he has been very consistent for us this season,” Swallow said.

“Like he said, he has played his role and to get rewarded is a testament to the start he has had to his career.”

The classy half-back himself said he too was now beginning to play with a level of comfort against some of the more hardened and seasoned forwards in the league.

“It has surprised me a bit; I’m finding the pace of the game pretty easy at the moment which has been pretty good,” he said.

“The boys have been pretty good and have looked after me in the seniors so that has made it a lot easier fitting into the group.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything more at the moment.”