The Western Bulldogs will call on debutant Charlie Clarke for Sunday's clash with Hawthorn in the absence of attacking pair Cody Weightman and Rhylee West.
Weightman (elbow) and West (suspension) will come out of the Dogs' side that lost to Fremantle in Round 7, with coach Luke Beveridge looking toward his depth options to help bolster his attacking unit.
While Beveridge is expected to have Tom Liberatore and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan available for the clash against the Hawks, Clarke is also set to be named among the inclusions for this weekend.
What a moment for our guy Charlie ๐ฅน pic.twitter.com/lfSCARGzr7
— Western Bulldogs (@westernbulldogs) May 2, 2024
Taken with Pick 24 in the 2022 AFL Draft, Clarke spent his maiden season at the Kennel in the VFL with Footscray, where he played 20 games at the state league level.
The energetic small forward has played a further five games for the Dogs's reserves side this year, including last week's clash with the AFL Academy side.
Clarke kicked three goals in that victory and has booted at least one major in each of his previous outings for Footscray this year.
The 20-year-old has defined himself as a promising pressure forward in the VFL also, averaging five tackles per game this year.
With a small forward void open in the Dogs' Round 8 planning, a debut for Clarke on Sunday has been confirmed.
โI'm very excited โ I've been dreaming of this my whole life,โ Clarke said in a club announcement.
โI love this club and love the people that are part of it. I'm just so excited to get my opportunity.
โEspecially from where I've come from, 12 months ago I was probably a long way off. To be here now โ I'm just very grateful.โ
Clarke's inclusion into Beveridge's will likely see the Port Melbourne product join fellow 2024 debutant Harvey Gallager, Laitham Vandermeer and Riley Garcia as the Dogs' small forward contingent.
Clarke becomes the Dogs' third debut of the year following Gallagher and top draft selection Ryley Sanders.
