It's an issue that has frustrated AFL fans for 12 months, and is making headlines again after Tex Wanganeen's 'debut' for Essendon on Saturday.

Of course, we're talking about first-gamers being selected as the medical sub and then failing to get on the ground.

It goes back to Round 1, 2021, where Hawthorn's Connor Downie - ironically against Essendon - was one of three debutants in the Hawks' side but was never activated.

This counts as an official 'game played,' however Downie would have to wait until Round 22 for his first real taste of the action - selected to play against the Western Bulldogs at the University of Tasmania Stadium in Launceston.

He recorded 12 disposals in a shock 27-point win.

Regarding the newest Wangangeen, Essendon great Matthew Lloyd says a player's "special moment" is ruined by not taking the field.

"I don't like it," Lloyd - who played with Wanganeen's Brownlow Medal-winning father, Gavin, at Essendon - said on the Sunday Footy Show.

"When Gavin Wanganeenโ€™s out there presenting (his jumper) to him, his family fly over โ€“ all these arrangements, yet the person doesnโ€™t play one second of football.

"Itโ€™s such a special moment. We can all talk about our first moment, our first kick, what the experience was like. Ask (Wanganeen) and he wonโ€™t be able to say anything.

"I think wait until theyโ€™re good enough to be in the 22 to give them their first game and that special occasion, rather than have them sit there for the whole game.

"And then what do you do with him this week? Do you drop him?"

Channel 7's Ryan Daniels went a step further, Tweeting "it should be illegal for players to debut as the medical sub."

Daniels wasn't alone in this opinion, with many fans on social media calling for the AFL to introduce a rule against it.

Indeed, veteran journalist Mark Stevens believes the AFL should "mandate it."

"Memo AFL:" Stevens tweeted.

"Debutants shouldn't be listed as medical subs.

"Mandate it. To be a sub you must have played at least one game."

From personal experience, my AFL debut was one of the best days of my life.

The game itself wouldn't have lived long in the memory of most AFL fans; Melbourne vs. Port Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval - before its redevelopment - on a Sunday afternoon in the last round of 2011.

But for me, as a 19-year-old, it was the realisation of a life-long dream.

My family was flown over from Melbourne, and school friends made a road trip of it.

A lot of work goes into being drafted, then a whole lot more effort goes into earning your first game - and to finally be able to say I played AFL, having desperately wanted to do so for as long as I can remember, was such a special thing.

I still remember the moment it all sunk in; It wasn't getting my jumper, or my first touch, or even kicking my first goal (a big 'thank you' to Luke Tapscott for putting it on a platter for me!).

Instead, it was running out with the team. It was running through the banner, doing the lap of the centre-square, and running inside 50 with all the players having shots at goal.

I used to go to the footy all the time and watch this happen from the outer, seeing how many of my beloved Hawthorn players kicked truly and whether or not they looked ready for a good game.

And - in that moment - with the club song in the background and players kicking at goal all around me, it felt real; I was actually doing what I had watched as a fan so many times before.

In many ways it was a lifetime ago - more than a decade ago now, which is scary - but in other ways, it feels like it was only yesterday.

However, while I clearly remember my debut fondly and know how special it is for every player who gets to experience it, I just can't accept that there should be a rule stopping clubs from selecting a first-gamer as the medical sub.

Obviously, it's not ideal, and Wanganeen's recollection of his debut would be very different to mine - and 99% of players who came before him.

Coincidentally, Wanganeen's experience is similar to his cousin Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera's, who debuted for St Kilda in Round 1 as an unused medical sub before getting his first taste of on-field action against Fremantle in Round 2.

READ MORE: Saints draftee to make debut, again

However, while I have empathy for Wanganeen, Wanganeen-Milera, Downie, and any other player who has been - or will be - an unused medical sub on debut, we must accept that the AFL is a billion-dollar, results-based industry.

And with that comes an obligation for each club to select a team that gives them the best chance of winning.

So if a club's best chance of winning is to have a debutant as their medical sub, then that's what they must do.

There has been a school of thought from many on social media that, if a debutant is the club's 23rd-best player, then just wait until they're in the best 22 and select the 24th-best player as the medical sub.

However, team selection doesn't work like that.

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Clubs don't just line their players up in order of best to worst and squeeze the first 22 into various positions.

Trying to squeeze square pegs into round holes can do more harm than good - look at the Western Bulldogs, who have a number of inside midfielders who are forced to play in other positions, or North Melbourne last week, playing three rucks against Hawthorn.

OPINION: North Melbourne Round 1 loss lies squarely at the selection table

Especially with a medical sub, it's important this player can come on, provide a lift and make an immediate impact - not to mention play in a number of varied positions, being cover for any of the other 22 named players.

And again, if this player is right for the substitute role, but is yet to have played an AFL game, then a club is not just within their right to select this player, but they are obligated to.

If we pivot from the club's perspective and back to that of the player, it's worth noting that it's not all doom and gloom.

To start with, we only need to look at Sunday's Round 2 game at Optus Stadium between Fremantle and St Kilda.

Fremantle's Nathan O'Driscoll was selected as the medical sub on his debut, before coming on and kicking a crucial goal late in the game.

If Fremantle weren't allowed to select O'Driscall as the medical sub, does that mean he wouldn't have played?

And, if so, surely we can't support a rule that would take this moment away from a 19-year-old?

Speaking of taking a moment away from a player: what if a club wanted to play a debutant as the medical sub in a grand final? Just because a player hasn't played a game yet, does that mean they'd miss out on being a potential premiership player?

I don't think there's a player in the competition who would turn down the opportunity to play in a grand final - even if they weren't guaranteed a minute of game time.

And before you say this is a far-fetched example, we only have to go back to 2019 to see a player debut in a grand final.

The Marlion Pickett story was one of the feel-good stories of the year, debuting as Richmond thumped GWS for their second of what turned out to be three premierships in four years.

Would Richmond have been less likely to pick him at all if he couldn't be the sub? Surely that can't be a good thing for our great game?

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Finally, there's one more point I'll make on this topic:

While this is by far the least important point, it's still worth consideration - being an unused medical sub not only qualifies as a game on a player's career tally, but it also qualifies them for a match-payment.

While you don't play for money, this shouldn't be discounted.

Yes, the average wage of an AFL player is over $300k, but the reality is most players are on much less than that - especially the players who are yet to make their debut.

While these players are still on very good money, with a base salary anywhere between $80,000 for a rookie to $105,000 for a first-round draft pick, a $4000 match payment is nothing to be sneezed at - especially given the average AFL career lasts less than three years.

So before calling for a rule that stops clubs from selecting a debutant as the medical sub, so that the likes of Wanganeen, Wanganeen-Milera, Downie et al. can have a 'proper' debut, realise that it's simply not that simple, and such decisions should be left to clubs to make on a case-by-case basis.

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