Livewire small forward Malakai Champion is set to make his AFL debut for West Coast in the club's clash against Greater Western Sydney on Friday night at Optus Stadium.
The 19-year-old Kalgoorlie product has been named as the Eagles' substitute against the ninth-placed Giants, becoming the club's eighth debutant of 2025 and the third in as many weeks, following Jobe Shanahan and Tom McCarthy.
West Coast coach Andrew McQualter announced the news to the playing group during the week, describing Champion's journey as a special one.
"He's been on a journey and we took him as part of our Next Generation Academy," McQualter said on Thursday.
"He came to the club at the start of this year and probably wasn't ready for AFL footy – he'd be the first to admit that – but he's worked really hard this year and really hard on his game."
Champion has been in consistent form for the Eagles' WAFL side this season, showcasing his craft around goal and his ability to apply strong defensive pressure on the opposition.
He collected 14 disposals and a goal in last week's win over Claremont, and a fortnight earlier laid 11 tackles in a loss to Peel Thunder.
"He's got himself fit, he's really consistent with the role he's playing at WAFL level, and he's just put consistent performances together, so it's a great opportunity for him to play," McQualter said.
"I don't love it, but he is going to start as the sub tomorrow night – I appreciate it's not ideal for a debutant, but he still seemed pretty happy when we told him.
"Our 22 played some pretty good footy last week, so we liked a lot of what they did and we wanted to be consistent and keep the team the same, but we wanted to reward 'Mally' as well."
Champion joined West Coast at the end of last year after the club had priority access to the speedy forward due to being a member of the club's Next Generation Academy.
He starred across multiple levels of football in 2024, which included kicking three goals in his senior WAFL debut for Subiaco, and another three majors while playing for Western Australia against Victoria in the U18 National Championships.
Friday night's match will also see the Eagles celebrate NAIDOC Week with a number of initiatives recognising First Nations culture.
The team will wear their 2025 First Nations guernsey, specially designed footballs will be used throughout the game, and a cultural gift exchange will take place before the opening bounce.
