Eddie Ford will debut for North Melbourne this Sunday when they take on the Western Bulldogs.
Ford will be the fourth first-year debutant to line up for the Kangaroos this year, joining Tom Powell, Charlie Lazzaro and Will Phillips.
Elvis is in! ๐บ#ShinbonerSpirit
— North Melbourne (@NMFCOfficial) July 2, 2021
Drafted with pick 56 from the Western Jets in last year's National Draft, Ford has enjoyed a strong patch in the VFL, helping North notch three consecutive wins.
Ford is a versatile player but has proven to be a good option forward, kicking six goals in his last three games. He has also averaged 14.3 disposals and 4.4 marks for the season.
When speaking to the playing group, VFL coach Leigh Adams praised Ford's character and work ethic.
"This bloke, we all love him for the way he goes off the field,โ Adams said.
"Heโs got a great humour to him, but the work heโs been doing, the hard work, to get himself to a debut has been fantastic."
North Melbourne play the Western Bulldogs 4.40pm on Sunday at Marvel Stadium.
Today North Melbourne also revealed that they have broken their membership record, with 45,133 members so far this season.
45,133 and counting.
Thank you to each and every one of our record breaking members who have shown their amazing support in 2021 ๐๐ค pic.twitter.com/FSfdSGJtmS
— North Melbourne (@NMFCOfficial) July 2, 2021
North CEO, Ben Amarfio, said the milestone showed the club is on the right path.
โWe have had incredible support, particularly over the past 15 months and our members continue to amaze us with their loyalty, passion and care for our club - particularly meritorious given COVID,โ he said.
โTo be in this position during what is the beginning of a rebuild, is incredibly significant. It proves to us that our members are on board with the direction we are heading in and they believe in the strategy weโve elected to pursue.โ
โItโs been challenging at times not having our royal blue and white striped army at games but this record speaks volumes about our membersโ dedication and commitment.
โIโd also like to acknowledge our membership team and the wider club who have all worked tirelessly to overcome numerous challenges to achieve this result.โ