This time last year, not many people would have known who Jai Newcombe was.

Fast forward 12 months and it’s a different story.

Newcombe has taken the football world by storm in 2022, rising from anonymity to one of the biggest success stories this season.

With more than half of the season down, the youngster is already a favourite for the Rising Star and is quickly becoming one of Hawthorn’s most damaging midfielders.

It’s hard to believe that around this time last year, the 20-year-old was suiting up for his first taste of AFL.

While some improvement might have been expected for his first full season, what has happened since has come to the surprise of many.

Earlier this year, Coach Sam Mitchell said Newcombe was the type of performer that plays better than what the statistics may reflect.  

But now, 13 games into the season, you can look straight to the stats to see how just how much he has improved.

Newcombe has averaged 21.5 disposals a game (+12 from 2021), 4.4 marks (+2), 5.2 tackles, 3.7 clearances (+2) and 4.2 inside 50s (+3).

He is in the top 10 in the AFL for tackles (10^th) and ranks 12th for metres gained.

He leads his team this season for total tackles, pressure acts, uncontested possessions and inside 50s.

Newcombe is one of four Hawks – alongside James Sicily, Dylan Moore and Blake Hardwick – to have played every game this year as he becomes a permanent fixture under Mitchell.

One of the youngest players in his side, Newcombe plays with a presence and confidence that is beyond his years and experience.

His physical and energetic performances have been both impressive and exciting to watch.

A big midfielder who lays tackles to hurt, Newcombe can win his own ball in the contest and break through the pack when he gets on the move.

Taken by Hawthorn with Pick 2 at last year’s Mid-Season Rookie Draft, his debut came just nine days later against Sydney at the SCG on a Friday night stage.

And, boy, was it a debut to remember.

Newcombe looked right at home since playing his first game where he broke the record for most tackles in a debut game, laying 14.

12 games later, he received a Rising Star nomination for his career-best 31 disposal performance and a game-high 653 metres gained in the Hawks Easter Monday triumph over Geelong.

He had eight touches in the side’s electrifying first quarter and a rampaging 10 in the final term comeback.

What makes his impressive rise even more special is that Newcombe grew up an avid Hawthorn supporter.

Mitchell was one of his favourite players as a kid, making the step from Poowong to the brown and gold even more surreal.

Playing under the same coach that launched him into the VFL scene at Box Hill and now his AFL career at Hawthorn, Mitchell’s influence on the young star has been prevalent.

“He has instilled a confidence in me to use my strengths and get the most out of myself,” Newcombe told AFL.com.au earlier this year.

“He has made me believe that I'm good enough at this level."

As we head into the second half of his second season, it’s easy to forget this is just the beginning for Newcombe.