Hawthorn will unveil three debutants in Saturday night's clash against Essendon in Tyler Brockman, Connor Downie and Jacob Koschitzke, as first reported by The Herald Sun'sย Jay Clark.
All thee youngsters impressed in the practice matches, with Koschitzke booting a game-high six goals against North Melbourne and Brockman bagging three majors of his own.
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Koschitzke, 20, was picked up by the club with Pick 52 in the 2018 National Draft and is seen as a forward marking replacement for Jack Gunston.
The 18-year old Tyler Brockman was selected by the Hawks with Pick 46 in last year'sa draft, having averaged 4.7 tackles per game last year in the WAFL.
Downie, 18, was one of the best midfielders from last year's draft, with the Hawthorn nabbing him with Pick 35.
Additionally, former Magpie Tom Phillips will play his first game for the club after being acquired during the trade period.
โWe are extremely excited that Jacob, Tyler and Connor will make their AFL debut on Saturday night,โ Hawks head of football Rob McCartney told the club website.
โAll three have worked incredibly hard over the course of the pre-season, and on the back of solid performances in our practice matches, thoroughly deserve their opportunities.
โOur loyal members and fans will get a glimpse of the future of our club as these lads start their AFL journey in brown and gold.
First games are special events and Iโm sure the three players and their families will enjoy the build-up and contest against a traditional rival in Essendon.โ
The Bombers yesterday confirmed that Nik Cox and Harrison Jones would make their AFL debuts, while trade acquisitions Jye Caldwell, Peter Wright and Nick Hind will don the red sash for the first time.
Essendon and Hawthorn face off at 7.25pm at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night, with official line-ups to be announced at 6.20pm on Friday (all times AEDT).
