St Kilda will unveil their fourth debutant of 2024 on Saturday against GWS when first-year midfield-forward Hugo Garcia lines up in Ross Lyon's side.
The club confirmed Garcia's inclusion ahead of Thursday's selection for Round 5, with Garcia joining fellow 2023 AFL Draft additions Lance Collard, Darcy Wilson and Angus Hastie in pulling on the red, white and black for their first AFL games this year already.
Garcia was drafted to Moorabbin as the 50th overall pick in last November's intake, joining the Saints out of Greenvale and the Calder Cannons.
Rated as a good running pressure half-forward, Garcia featured for the Saints' senior side over the pre-season before making his VFL debut last month with Sandringham.
Garcia booted a goal in each of his two matches for the Zebras while averaging 18 disposals and 11 tackles per game.
"Hugo has been so keen to get better and has latched on to a few of the senior midfielders," St Kilda development coach Lenny Hayes said in a club announcement.
"He's really disciplined with learning the game-plan.
"He's obviously got speed and endurance, but his inside craft and willingness to chase and tackle are impressive."
Garcia's inclusion comes as the Saints prepare to welcome back young midfielder Marcus Windhager from suspension, while defender Dougal Howard could also be considered to return from a hamstring injury sustained in the pre-season.
Meanwhile, Geelong are expected to unveil their own debutant this weekend, with first-round pick Connor O'Sullivan to be named for the Cats' clash with North Melbourne, perย 7 News'ย Mitch Cleary.
O'Sullivan was taken with Pick 11 in last year's National Draft out of Albury, ranking as one of the best key position talents in his class.
O'Sullivan, who stands nearly 200cm tall, can play in defence or as a forward, and has been mostly used down back for Geelong since landing at Kardinia Park.
Geelong will host North Melbourne at GMHBA Stadium on Sunday at 1:00pm (AEST).
