Callum Mills has joined illustrious company becoming the third Sydney Swans player to win the AFL Rising Star award.

Mills joined Dan Hannebery (2010) and Adam Goodes (1999) as previous winners of the award that acknowledges the best first year player in the competition.

The Swans have now had the most winners of the award since its inception in 1993.

Mills also created history by becoming the first New South Wales born player to win the Ron Evans Medal, presented at Crown Palladium on Tuesday afternoon.

He finished on 49 votes, leaving him with the full five votes from all but one of the members of the voting panel.

The 19-year-old said he was honoured to win an award that had such a proud history.

“I am very humbled to win this award as there have been some great names to have won this before me such as Goodes and Buckley,” Mills said.

“For me to win the award today is something that is really special and I will cherish it.”

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The courage of Mills has shone through during his first season at AFL level where he has been forced to play across half back for the first time in his career.

It is a challenge the youngster has fully embraced to become one of the most important cogs in the Swans defence.

“You always need to keep learning, it is hard not to be complacent but the game goes passed you as soon as you do,” he said.

“As long as you are learning and improving as much as you can then it will put you in good stead.”

List Manager Kinnear Beatson said it was no surprise that Mills had performed the way he had during his debut season.

"We knew Cal was a pretty special player in what he had shown us in the early days with the Academy."

"To have the year he has had you don't expect a first year player to do that but he is such a proffesional in how he approaches it all and prepares."

"It doesn't surprise us what he has been able to do this year."