Essendon has announced its 13th debutant for the year, matching Fitzroy's record from 1991, as Liam McMahon will take centre stage on Thursday night against the Giants.
McMahon was taken by the Bombers at the Mid-Season Draft with Pick 18 due to the club's injury crisis after dominating in the VFL for Carlton, cementing his status as one of the premier forwards in the competition.
The 23-year-old was previously listed at Collingwood following the 2020 National Draft, but was let go after two years.
He spent time with Carlton during the summer in hope of being reselected into the AFL system, but was ultimately overlooked.
Now, after just over a month on the list, McMahon's stellar VFL form has earned him that chance.
"It's been a massive road," McMahon said.
"It's been five years in the making from when I got drafted back in 2020. It's not so much a sigh of relief, but it's more a moment where I was finally able to prove myself right and get to where I am now.
"I'm really proud of my perseverance and my resilience. Being told โno' for five years or that I'm not good enough has been a massive setback, and to finally be here now, it's just so surreal.
"Brad asked me how my day had been going, gave him the quick rundown โ it hadn't been much as it was our day off. He just told me my day was about to get a whole lot better.
"The gratitude is just immense. To be able to say that I've now ticked off a childhood dream and that I'm officially an AFL player is something I won't take for granted. I'll be so appreciative forever."
McMahon has the ability to play at both ends of the ground, but has found a place up forward and is likely to replace the injured Nate Caddy against GWS.
He has kicked 43 goals for the Bombers and Blues in the VFL this year, across 13 matches to sit second on the leaderboard.
McMahon's debut joins fellow mid-season prospects Lachlan Blakiston (Round 14), Archie May (Round 14) and Oskar Smartt (Round 18), as well as Isaac Kako (Round 1), Tom Edwards (Round 2), Saad El-Hawli (Round 3), Archer Day-Wicks (Round 9), Lewis Hayes (Round 9), Angus Clarke (Round 11), Zak Johnson (Round 12), Luamon Lual (Round 13) and Vigo Visentini (Round 15).
