Lewy Taylor’s triumph at Wednesday’s the 2014 NAB AFL Rising Star event further stamped the Brisbane Lions’ dominance of the award since it was introduced in 1993.

Taylor became the fourth player at the Club to claim the prestigious award, following in the esteemed footsteps of Nathan Buckley (1993), Chris Scott (1994), and teammate Daniel Rich (2009).

The Lions now boast twice as many Rising Star winners than any other club in the AFL competition, with Hawthorn, Sydney, Port Adelaide, St Kilda, and Fremantle the next best with two apiece.

Carlton, Collingwood, Greater Western Sydney, and the Western Bulldogs, meanwhile, remain the only clubs yet to have a Rising Star in the awards’ 22-year history.

The Bulldogs, however, came incredibly close to crowning their maiden Rising Star in 2014 with promising utility Marcus Bontempelli finishing just one vote shy of Taylor in what was the tightest finish in the event’s history.

Taylor finished with a competition-high 39 votes, to finish ahead of Bontempelli (38), North Melbourne defender Luke McDonald (32), and Lions teammate James Aish (19).

It was the second highest tally by a Lions player since votes were made public in 1997, behind only Daniel Rich who was the unanimous winner in 2009 with a maximum 45 votes.

Aish’s effort ranks him sixth at the Club in terms of most Rising Star votes received, behind Rich, Taylor, Vice-Captain Tom Rockliff (24 votes in 2010), Brownlow Medallist Simon Black (20 votes in 1999), and Richard Hadley (20 votes in 2004).

The Rising Star award is far from just being a token gesture, with history suggesting that the winners generally go on to forge successful AFL careers.

Taylor’s in good company with the likes of Buckley, Scott, Adam Goodes, Nick Riewoldt, Sam Mitchell, Brett Deledio, Joel Selwood, and his childhood hero Ben Cousins to name a few.

In fact, every winner from the award’s inception in 1993 until 2007 has played at least 150 senior AFL games, and all bar two (Justin Koschitzke and Jared Rivers) have either played in a premiership, won a club best and fairest award, or been named in the AFL All-Australian team.

Of the more recent winners, Daniel Rich and Sydney’s Daniel Hannebery have already clocked up 100 AFL games, while Dyson Heppell, Daniel Talia, and Jaeger O’Meara all look certain of having long and successful careers.