Small forward Brent Daniels will make his AFL debut when the GIANTS head west to take on the West Coast Eagles at Optus Stadium on Sunday.
The 19-year-old is one of two changes for the GIANTS, who have also recalled defender Harry Perryman.
Daniels was selected at pick 27 in the 2017 NAB AFL Draft. He is known for reading the ball exceptionally well off hands and is a good distributor by hand and foot.
He was as surprised as anyone when Leon Cameron announced he would become the 90th GIANT to play for the club in front of the group at training.
“It was a bit of a surprise, but it was good,” he said.
“Everyone was pretty excited, as was I. It was a bit of a surprise because it doesn’t normally happen at the start of training, but everyone got around me and it was a good moment.”
After a knee injury delayed his start to the season, the youngster has now played nine games and kicked nine goals in the NEAFL.
He has averaged 17 touches and more than three tackles a game. Coach Cameron said the nuggety forward was always going to face the Eagles this week.
“We were always going to play Brent and it’s fantastic that he gets his opportunity,” Cameron said.
“He’s been in really good form the last five or six weeks, he’s got great tackle pressure, chase pressure and we like that.
“He can hit the scoreboard, he’s a very good front-and-square player and there’s no doubt there’s going to be plenty of excitement on Sunday when he plays.
“He’s got great character, he’s popular amongst our group and it’s a good news story.”
Perryman also returns to the side for his sixth game of the season. The versatile defender starred in the NEAFL a fortnight ago with 34 touches, six tackles and four goals.
Jon Patton and Jacob Hopper will miss the trip west. Scans on Friday confirmed Patton suffered an ACL injury at training on Thursday. Hopper will miss with calf tightness but is expected to be available for next week’s clash with the Tigers.
The GIANTS take on the third-placed Eagles when they play at Optus Stadium for the first time on Sunday.
“We have a huge clash coming up and we know that our best footy can stack up against the best,” Cameron said.
“They are a real good team, they’re a top-four team, and we have to be at our best on Sunday to beat them.”
Tune in to live coverage on 7mate in NSW and the ACT and Fox Footy nationally from 4:30pm EST on Sunday.
West Coast Eagles v GIANTS
Sunday, July 8 at 4:40pm (EST)
Optus Stadium
GIANTS
FB: Sam Taylor, Phil Davis, Heath Shaw
HB: Ryan Griffen, Aidan Corr, Adam Tomlinson
C: Lachie Whitfield, Dylan Shiel, Jeremy Finlayson
HF: Zac Langdon, Rory Lobb, Matt de Boer
FF: Sam Reid, Harry Himmelberg, Callan Ward
RR: Dawson Simpson, Josh Kelly, Stephen Coniglio
Interchange: Harry Perryman, Brent Daniels, Tim Taranto, Nick Haynes
In: Harry Perryman, Brent Daniels
Out: Jon Patton (knee), Jacob Hopper (calf)
Emergencies: Aiden Bonar, Nick Shipley, Lachlan Keeffe, Adam Kennedy
