Melbourne defender Joel Smith will make his AFL debut against St Kilda on Saturday after being elevated to the senior list on Thursday.
The 21-year-old was promoted after ruckman Mitch King was placed on the long-term injury list.
โItโs a bit of a shock and I didnโt expect it,โ Smith told Melbourne TV.
โA year ago, I was playing in the VFL Development [League] and here I am now playing round one against St Kilda and Iโm rapt.
โAll of the hard work has paid off and I just canโt wait to be out there.
โAs pre-season went on, I was training really well and I thought I could actually do this.
โI played a couple of JLT [Community Series] matches and the last few weeks Iโve been thinking about it and itโs been in the back of my mind.
โNow Iโm playing, Iโm ready to go and I canโt wait.โ
