Hawthorn will unveil last year's top draft pick Aidan Schubert for Saturday's clash with North Melbourne at UTAS Stadium.
Schubert will replace the injured Mitch Lewis (concussed) in the Hawks' forward line.
In 15 appearances for Box Hill, the talented teenager has averaged 13 disposals, 4.8 marks, and 1.6 goals per game.
"He's a really good runner. He's a big man. He's only young but he's going to be a big, strong man but he covers the ground really well so he's a good mark and there's still some work to do," coach Sam Mitchell said on Thursday.
"He had a bit of a stutter in his run up when he got here and he's working on other parts of his game but he's probably been in the ball park of ready to play for a lot of the year so excited to see him make his debut.
"Early in the season he kicked a lot of goals and he's got a knack of finding the footy. He's worked on his craft and understanding of the game (in his) first year playing against men so how he used his body in the past compared to how he uses it now has taken a little bit of time but he's a player we're excited to see."
Mitchell indicated high-profile young forward Calsher Dear would have come into selection consideration, but with Noah Mraz going out of the side after shouldering some ruck duty and Ned Reeves still unavailable with his knee injury, Schubert was given the nod.
"He's an exciting young lad…he'll come in as the second ruck and key forward. We needed a bit of ruck back up, Noah Mraz had been doing a fair bit of that and he's fallen out of the side with his kidney laceration," Mitchell said.
Schubert will be the club's eighth debutant of the season.
His latest performance against Essendon in the VFL warranted a top-flight selection, with reserves coach David Mirra in awe of his efforts.
“Another terrific, well-rounded performance splitting time between the forward line and secondary ruck. In a wet first half, Schuey was dynamic and handled the ball cleanly. He hauled in some big contested marks, booted a goal and used his elite running capability to completely work his opponent off their feet," Mirra said.
Hawthorn football boss Rob McCartney believes the South Australian can translate his traits to the AFL.
“As a young key tall with genuine talent, what's impressed us most is his willingness to compete and learn, which gives us great confidence he can step up and play a role for us at AFL level."
Schubert signed a two-year contract extension last month, extending his time at Dingley until the end of 2029.
