Talented young forward Kaine Baldwin will make his debut for the Essendon Bombers in Round 1 of the AFL season against Geelong.
The news was announced at a team meeting on Tuesday afternoon, with the team for the match (which will be played on Saturday afternoon at the Melbourne Cricket Ground) to be confirmed in the coming days.
Baldwin has impressed in both the practice match against the Western Bulldogs, and the AAMI Community Series game against the St Kilda Saints.
Selected by Essendon during the pre-season supplemental selection period for 2021, Baldwin is yet to make his debut, but has spent a large chunk of his career recoverking from injuries.
The 19-year-old is a former South Australian under-16 captain and only missed out being a high first round draft pick in 2020 after a knee injury.
In addressing the team at the announcement of Baldwin's selection, Ben Rutten heaped praise on the youngster.
"There's also an opportunity today on the eve of Round 1 to highlight someone I think has really embodied the DNA," Rutten said.
"We spoke about it yesterday with resilience and our ability and courage to let go of the rope and step into a place of vulnerability and uncertainty.
"And someone who's really role modelled this and I think we spoke about it yesterday about his ability to inspire his teammates by the way he shows up is Kaine Baldwin.
"He's going to play his first game."
The forward will line up in Essendon's clash against Geelong as he begins his AFL career, with the Bombers looking to climb the ladder in 2022.
