Young Melbourne key forward Jacob Van Rooyen will debut this weekend, set to run out for the first time against Sydney on Sunday afternoon.
Van Rooyen was drafted by the Demons with pick No.19 in the 2021 AFL National Draft and spent the 2022 season honing his craft in the VFL.
The 19-year-old kicked 36 goals from 18 games across his time at Casey, with the prospect impressing many both last year and in 2023's pre-season.
Last weekend, Van Rooyen had 19 touches in the VFL, claiming 11 marks and a goal.
Speaking on Wednesday, Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin confirmed that the young Demon would make his debut in Round 3.
"He's worked incredibly hard to develop his game over the last two years and we've been pretty hard on him about getting his game to the right level," Goodwin said.
"He's continued to execute that through pre-season and the first few weeks, so he'll debut for us and that's exciting.
"He's a young power forward coming into the game."
"He goes at the ball hard, he creates a contest and his follow-up at ground level is exceptional.
"We won't be asking him to do too much other than that for us."
The young Demon is set to come into the side to replace injured skipper Max Gawn, who is facing four to six weeks on the sideline after straining his MCL in Round 2's loss to Brisbane.
Elsewhere on the injury list, the club is hopeful of regaining Steven May for Sunday's clash after being sidelined with a calf injury.
Melbourne currently sits 8th on the ladder heading into Round 3, with a 1-1 record. The Demons will take on the Swans on Sunday afternoon at 3:20 PM (AEDT) at the MCG.
