ADELAIDE small defender Luke Brown is the round 23 nomination for the NAB AFL Rising Star Award.

Brown collected 21 possessions against West Coast on Saturday night, after averaging 14 disposals a game this year.

The 20-year-old is Adelaide's fourth NAB AFL Rising Star nominee this year, after Brad Crouch, Sam Kerridge and Rory Laird were all honoured earlier in the season. In the absence of retired champion Michael Doughty, 181cm Brown and fellow small defender Laird have stood up to become vital cogs in the club's machine.

The 24-gamer is cool under pressure, makes great decisions for a player of his experience and delivers the ball neatly.

Crows coach Brenton Sanderson the youngster's maturity had impressed.

"His ability to quickly adjust to the tempo of AFL football is a credit to his professionalism and desire to learn and improve," Sanderson said.

“Despite being in just his second season of AFL football, Luke plays with a maturity well beyond his years and has been very successful in restricting the opposition's most dangerous forward each week."

Recruited from Tea Tree Gully in Adelaide, Brown played in the Norwood SANFL premiership team in 2012.

Brown also represented South Australia at the 2011 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.

He came to the Crows in October 2011. He was traded to Adelaide from the Greater Western Sydney Giants for zone selection Number Two (Brad Crouch) and Number 10 Liam Sumner and 2011 round one compensation selection (Phil Davis).

Following each round of the home and away season, a panel of judges will select a NAB AFL Rising Star nominee. At the completion of the season, one of these nominees will be chosen as the 2013 NAB AFL Rising Star.

The 2013 NAB AFL Rising Star winner will be awarded the Ron Evans Medal and a $20,000 personal investment folio and a dedicated personal banker, courtesy of NAB. The winner will be announced at a presentation in Melbourne on Wednesday.

NAB will also recognise the junior clubs that helped foster the early careers of the nominated players. Each of the 23 clubs will receive a NAB Club Recognition Award valued at $1000, comprising cash and practical resources. Since supporting the NAB AFL Rising Stars Program, NAB has donated over $600,000 worth of resources to junior football clubs through this initiative.

More to come ...