On paper, there's little that separates North Melbourne young gun Harry Sheezel and Collingwood sensation Nick Daicos in their debut campaigns, with key metrics for both plays narrowly splitting the duo in their maiden campaigns.
Both deployed in defensive roles after making their names as top draft talents through midfield and attack respectively, Daicos and Sheezel have both had an instant impact at AFL level as teenagers.
Sheezel is seen as a strong contender to succeed Daicos as this year's Rising Star Award winner, having transitioned from the best attacking prospect in last year's draft class to arguably the cleanest ball user in the back half at Arden Street.
The Ajax product is following a trend Daicos set last year, with Sheezel even admitting earlier this year he had studied the Magpies' father-son gun after speaking with new coach Alastair Clarkson.
Daicos' 2022 season is one of the greatest debut years the game as seen in the top flight, with the flashy flanker offering constant run and precision out of the back 50 to help Collingwood on their way to a preliminary final finish.
While Sheezel's Roos won't come as close to a premiership this year, the 2022 third overall pick has managed to level Daicos on the stat sheet.
On this week'sย Zero Hanger TV Mailbag segment, the team were asked whether Sheezel had exceeded Daicos's debut campaign on stats alone.
Crunching the numbers for disposals, kicking efficiency, score involvements, metres gained and more, the pair lined up almost equally.
Watch the snippet from this week'sย Mailbagย below, or view the full video here.
