Jagga Smith took another step toward the Telstra Rising Star conversation on Friday night, finishing with 27 touches, six clearances and six inside-50s as Carlton beat Geelong in round 12 of the 2026 AFL season.
The young Carlton midfielder was already driving the search terms around the Afl Scores Live: Brisbane and Geelong trade highlights in round 10 style of round-by-round form watch, and this one only sharpened it. Smith had 18 disposals by half-time, then kept finding ways to impact the game as the match opened up, including a final-term goal assist to Brodie Kemp that helped seal the impression of a player in control of the moment.
That performance mattered because it came against a Geelong side that had spent the past month using Oisin Mullin in a tagger role on Nick Daicos and Lachie Neale. Chris Scott moved Mullin onto Smith at half-time, a clear sign Carlton’s midfielder had already done enough damage to force a change. Smith had 23 score involvements in the two weeks before the Geelong match, and Friday’s game gave that run of form a harder edge: not just ball-winning, but direct influence on scoring chains.
Carlton will take the win and the midfield rise that came with it. Smith’s case is no longer built on one hot night either; it is being supported by a month of repeated involvement, the sort of form that usually sits near the front of the Rising Star race once the season reaches this stage. The question now is not whether he belongs in the discussion, but whether he can keep producing at this level when opponents start planning for him the way Geelong did.
