South Australian product Jared Polec has been named in the Lions' final side and is now set to make his senior AFL debut this Sunday when they take on Melbourne at the MCG.
Polec has been included along with key forward Aaron Cornelius, who will be looking to help lift the Lions' forward line in the absence of skipper Jonathan Brown.
The pair have been selected in place of rookie ruckman Broc McCauley and Amon Buchanan who were omitted from the side that was defeated by the Western Bulldogs last weekend.
Polec, who came to the Lions from Woodville West Torrens via Pick No. 5 in the 2010 AFL National Draft, becomes the fifth Lion to make his first official AFL appearance in 2011.
The 189cm midfielder was a regular contributor during the Lions pre-season campaign, and just missed his chance to debut last week against the Bulldogs, being eventually named as an emergency in the senior side.
Polec's inclusion in the final squad adds him to the list of 2011 debutants which already includes Ryan Lester, Claye Beams, Rohan Bewick and Broc McCauley.
20 year-old Cornelius is set to add to his total of six senior matches for the Lions with his first AFL appearance for 2011. The 192cm Tasmanian found his way into the senior side five times in 2010 and was regularly among the best for the Lions Reserves.
His addition is expected to help bolster the Lions' attacking options.
The rest of the squad remains unchanged this week, with stand-in Captains Jed Adcock and Daniel Merrett leading a familiar side into the team's first hitout at the MCG for 2011.
Among the key match-ups to watch will be Matthew Leuenberger taking on 2010 All-Australian ruckman Mark Jamar while one of Daniel Merrett or Joel Patfull are most likely to be lining up against high-flying Demons forward Liam Jurrah.
The full Lions team for Round 3 is as follows:
B: Jed Adcock (7), Daniel Merrett (21), Cheynee Stiller (32)
HB: Pearce Hanley (11), Joel Patfull (24), Ash McGrath (9)
C: Tom Rockliff (38), Simon Black (20), Jack Redden (30)
HF: Luke Power (6), Ryan Lester (35), Jesse O'Brien (34)
F: James Polkinghorne (31), Mitchell Clark (1), Todd Banfield (18)
Foll: Matthew Leuenberger (23), Andrew Raines (29), Daniel Rich (10)
Int: Aaron Cornelius (44), Claye Beams (17), Rohan Bewick (43), Jared Polec (4)
Emer: Amon Buchanan (33), Tom Collier (22), Broc McCauley (46)
IN: Aaron Cornelius, Jared Polec
OUT: Amon Buchanan (omitted), Broc McCauley (omitted)
