![Colby McKercher and Zach Merrett. Pictures by North Melbourne and Essendon football clubs Colby McKercher and Zach Merrett. Pictures by North Melbourne and Essendon football clubs](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/8mt7fPj3AeZSAF4grZ2EUc/c8992760-084d-47a5-a5b1-2c8ad27906b1.jpg/r0_0_1920_1079_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A comparison to Zach Merrett has always followed North Melbourne's Colby McKercher around.
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This weekend, the two will meet in the AFL for the first time but it's just another game for McKercher, who was the round-nine nomination for the Rising Star award.
"I like watching stars around the competition but I really just want to be my player and don't really compare myself to anybody else," he said.
The 19-year-old had 30 disposals (21 kicks), 596 metres gained, six intercepts and five score involvements in the Kangaroos' loss to Gold Coast on Saturday night.
It was the third consecutive week that the Launceston product recorded 30 or more disposals, doing so against Adelaide and St Kilda in rounds seven and eight respectively.
However, Fox Sports' Drew Jones reported McKercher is under an injury cloud, missing training on Tuesday and having scans after foot soreness.
It comes after McKercher has earned the trust of his coaches to play an important role off half-back, pushing Harry Sheezel into the midfield.
"Harry is doing a really good role in that mid-forward role and obviously is a really damaging footballer, so having him up around the football is really beneficial towards the team," McKercher said.
"I miss him down there with his leadership but at the same time, it allows me to take on a bigger opportunity.
"I've been a midfielder my whole career, so it's been different and a nice change to go down back and work on my versatility.
"I think it's important to be able to play other roles and I'm really enjoying my time down back so I'm not too eager to move out of the back line as yet."
Coming into the AFL system, the former Kings Meadows High School student had an exceptional season of junior football, winning the Morrish Medal alongside Patrick Hughes as the best players in the Talent League despite only playing eight Tasmania Devils games.
He also finished second in the Larke Medal behind fellow Tasmanian Ryley Sanders, who collected 42 disposals for the Western Bulldogs' VFL team this weekend.
Upon moving to the mainland, McKercher lived with Kangaroos legend Brent Harvey until Christmas and is now housemates with fellow draftee Taylor Goad and a club trainer.
Yet to have a win in his first nine AFL matches, he believes one is not far away.
"That's what we work for every week and credit to the boys, they've just put their head down," he said.
"Obviously it's not the start to the season that we would have hoped but we're working every day to get better as a collective and as individuals so I have no doubt that one will be not too far around the corner."
McKercher joined Matt Roberts, Ollie Dempsey, George Wardlaw, Harvey Gallagher, Sam Darcy, Harley Reid, Darcy Wilson, Jake Rogers and Caleb Windsor as rising star nominees.