Adelaide's boom second-year winger Dan Curtin has traits of captain Jordan Dawson, his impressed coach says.
And Crows coach Matthew Nicks says Curtin has only scratched the surface with his eye-catching patch of form.
The 20-year-old West Australian has overtaken Brisbane's Levi Ashcroft as favourite for the AFL's Rising Star award.
After seven games last season, Curtin has played all 18 games and recorded 20 or more disposals in three of his past four outings.
The form surge comes after signing a contract extension a month ago to remain in Adelaide until the end of 2029.
Prompted about any Curtin's similarities with Crows skipper Dawson, Nicks replied: "There are.
"They are similar characters," the coach told reporters on Wednesday.
"They have both got incredible belief in themselves; they prioritise team, 100 per cent.
"Dan is well and truly above his age from a maturity point of view of what he focuses on what he prioritises and that is similar to Daws.
"That's why Daws is our captain - it was a standout that he just had a leadership to him that we knew would help our group develop.
"And Dan's already in a great space when it comes to how he works with his teammates and what he prioritises."
Most impressive to Nicks was Curtin's prominence in crucial contests in Adelaide's rise to third on the ladder.
"The standout, for mine, has been key moments, he has stood up in really big moments," Nicks said.
"That's unique for such a young player to be able to do that.
"He's still got so much more that he's working through and a lot more in his game that he's going to improve on.
"But you need a big moment and you need a player to win a contest? He's shown that multiple times over the last couple of months."
