It’s been a big week for North Melbourne defender Jackson Archer.
The former Northern Knight signed a two year contract extension to tie himself to the club until the end of the 2026 season.
He was then on Monday named the round 21 AFL rising star nominee.
The 21-year-old had 20 disposals, eight intercepts, eight marks, five tackles and polled five coaches votes in the Kangaroos win against Richmond.
Archer is the son of Kangaroos legend Glenn Archer, who received a rising star nomination in 1993.
They become only the second father-son pairing to receive a rising star nomination, joining Sam and Luke Darcy.
Archer was drafted with pick 59 in the 2021 draft as a father-son selection and made his debut in round 15 the following season against Adelaide.
After injuries restricted him to eight games across his first two seasons, the defender has become a mainstay in the Kangaroo’s backline in 2024.
The young defender has played 12 of the last 13 games and is averaging 5.25 intercepts, 3.2 marks and 2.8 tackles per game.
North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson praised Archer’s development post-game.
“We shouldn’t be surprised given his surname, but we’re just rapt with his progress,” he said.
“We think we’ve really found a player there.”
